Gourd Art II

Gourd art is practised throughout the world and people have been decorating gourd shells for ages. This was mostly done by painting or wood-burning the dried shells. Nowadays, it is not just a hobby or craft anymore, but has evolved in to an art form.

Depending on their shape, gourds are being classified as either a long gourd or a bottle/kettle gourd. Anything differently sized and shaped falls under the category of small and other gourds.

It is not just the entire gourd that is being used, as you can see in this picture. Pieces can be applied to create all kinds of projects, like a 4"x4" gourd quilt which was made through a combined effort by gourd artists from the U.S., Canada and Australia.

Some more ideas I picked up while investigating gourd art; cutting of the top of a gourd, filling it with wax (don't forget the wick) and you end up with a decorative and unique candle. Another idea was making a bird house out of a gourd.

Ideas can be found anywhere and they are just as plentiful and divers as the gourds!