Won by Lewis Kalil
Tropical Fish Gourd Bowl
Donated by Christa Enslin of Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Handpainted by Dorothy Garner of Decatur, Alabama
This is a handpainted cut gourd bowl. Set in a tropical turquoise seascape, this bowl is richly decorated with scenes of exotic fish and coral reefs. Varnished to perfection and having a tranquil quality, this gourd rests atop a piece of real driftwood. This gourd will bring the sea to any corner of your home. Vase on driftwood base is 11-1/2″ high x 10″ wide x 7-1/2” deep.
Won by Dale Anderson
“Behold” St. Nicholas
by Georgie Enslin-Foster of Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Describing this piece is simple, but the message is powerful. This handpainted piece, by award winning gourd artist, Georgie Enslin-Foster, depicts the shepherd and the wise men beholding the Messiah. I hope you enjoy this piece and its message.—Georgie Enslin-Foster. St. Nicholas is 14” high and has a circumference of 32″.
Won by Georgie Foster
“Diana”
by Nicky Blakeney of Taylorsville, Mississippi
Meet Diana. She is 13-1/2” tall. Her body and head are three gourds. Her hat is part of a fourth gourd. The only parts of the doll structure that are not gourd are her nose, arms, and hands. They are made by hand from Apoxie Sculpt (clay). The ruffles of the dress are hand-gathered 2-1/2” wide ribbon. The crystals are heat set, one at a time, and the strung pearls are glued into place.
About me: I have been a crafter most of my life. Even as a young girl, I enjoyed “remaking things”. I am a seamstress by trade. I started sewing when I was ten years old and made my grandmother a dress to wear to church on a treadle sewing machine.
I started “gourding” in 2010 when the Mississippi Gourd Festival came to Raleigh, Mississippi, and haven’t looked back. I thank Mike and Michelle Thompson for getting me into the Mississippi Gourd Society. I don’t know what I would do without them.
I may not be an A-1 artist, but it keeps my mind alive. 1 Corinthians 10:31.—Nicky Blakeney
Won by Susan Marquez
Faux Leather-Tooled Hummingbird
by Helen Looman of Yazoo City, Mississippi
I was inspired to leather-tool my hummingbird while I was looking at a jewelry book and saw a little diamond jewelry bird getting nectar from a solid diamond flower. I could just see it done in my magic leather-tooling technique. I used a small martin gourd bottom for the bowl. After I created the little tooled hummingbird and flower with my woodburner, I added a little more foliage and stippled a solid background to make the bird show up better. I then used black gourd dye to make a frame for the pattern and a rim around the bowl. I dyed the remainder of the bowl with turquoise dye, which appears green on the tan skin of the gourd. Bowl is 7” wide x 5-1/2” high.
About me: Since I lost Stanley in 2010, I have been keeping myself too busy to think about “poor little ole me” being alone. Between gourds, church, family and the never-ending growing grass in my yard, I stay busy from sun up to sun down. While geometric patterns used to be my favorite style of woodburning, I now am hooked on faux leather tooling. Everything I look at stares back at me as being leather-tooled and suddenly I have a new tooled pattern for a gourd. I am so thankful for all my dear gourd friends for helping me through a hard time and for my gourds for continually taking me to that quiet peaceful place while I’m working on them.—Helen Looman
Won by Marcia Sherna
Thunder Drum
by Bob & Sherry Briscoe of Reidsville, North Carolina
Large thunder drum, approximately 16″ tall, is a collaborative project by Bob and Sherry and a Native friend of theirs. This was the picture submitted early by Bob and Sherry. Doesn’t do it justice. Sherry added a lot of decorative painting!
