Glowing Petroglyphs gourd bowl

The Native Forum team on Etsy is participating in an 'Artists Exposed' treasury this coming November. That is a gathering of listings where the lead picture is a shot of the artist themselves, rather than the item. It lets folks get to know one another a little bit better. I didn't participate last year (my native blood dates back to the 1800's, so I always feel like a visitor to the team), but got my guts up to play along this time. But I wanted to have a new piece of art work for the listing.

So, I took the time this week to transform this gourd:

The gourd was originally grown in Casa Grande, Arizona. I scrubbed it down, sawed it open, scooped out the innards, and cleaned and sanded it up. Then I dyed the bowl inside and out with a half dozen blended colors of leather dye, and sealed it with several light layers of clear spray. The darker streaks down the outside of the gourd were inspired by a phenomenon called 'desert varnish', which is a dark patina that forms on cliff faces in arid climates.

I sewed a decorative chevron rim treatment in waxed linen.

Then came the fun part. I regularly go hiking in the White Tank Mountain Regional Park, located just west of Phoenix, Arizona. If you look carefully when you are on the trails, you can spot ancient petroglyphs that were carved into the desert varnish by the Hohokam Indians, probably somewhere between A.D. 500 - 1100. Rangers say that some of the images may actually be up to 10,000 years old. I have collected many pictures of the petroglyphs, and for this bowl I went back through my albums for inspiration.

I sketched the symbols on the gourd, and then carefully drilled holes along my lines. It adds a nice texture to the gourd during the day...

but the bowl really comes alive at night. The next pictures are of the bowl in low light conditions, with a tap light inside of it. With light streaming from inside, the ancient images take on a glowing new life.

You can find the bowl at http://www.etsy.com/listing/84957986/for-artists-exposed-gourd-bowl-with

For my own 'Glowing Petroglyphs' piece I use a votive candle on a stand inside, which makes a lovely warm and flickering light. But the gourds are flammable. I don't leave mine unattended, but for safety's sake I sell the gourds with a tap light included instead of a candle.

Oh...the picture I used for the 'Artists Exposed' part of this? I grabbed this one that my daughter snapped of me last July. I was in my studio, trying out one of her pop-tab necklaces. They are actually quite comfortable, and really fun. She's planning on listing them in her own shop over the next week or so. That is a D&D d20 dice hanging from the choker. Yes, we're gamer geeks over here.

Hohokam Indian Petroglyphs

My sweetie has been getting cabin fever recently, since he's been cooped up recovering from fixing his leg. However, the weather was awesome yesterday, he was feeling stronger, and we knew there was the handicap accessible Black Rock Trail at the White Tanks Park about a half hour drive from us. So we grabbed some chicken for a picnic dinner, and headed out for a lovely sunset stroll after his work.

I'm originally from the midwest USA, so the spiky texture of the plants out here is always kind of odd to my eyes. But there is definitely beauty when you know to look for it.



The Hohokam Indians lived in this region from about 500-1100 AD, and they left petroglyphs scattered behind them. Actually, some of the glyphs in the park are suspected to be up to 10,000 years old. I use some of the symbols in my gourd work, taking inspiration from my adopted home. So I took some time to carefully clamber around the rocks, not touching the images (the oils from my hands could damage them) but capturing them in picture for future reference.



















































It was getting dark by the time we made it around our little loop. There was a slight chill in the air, and all you could hear was the whisper of the wind and the occasional bird call.



I really appreciate having this peaceful refuge so close to home. And by the evidence left on the rocks, people have been enjoying this pocket of beauty long down through the ages.

Gourds and weaving and project planning

I've been spending time with family and friends this weekend, and getting some long neglected yard work done. The weather here in Phoenix has finally cooled down enough that we can get back outside, so I spent some time thinning out the bamboo in the back yard. (That gives me two good sized canes that are drying. Wonder what I can do with them...) We need to trim back the grape vines too--they took over the hot tub gazebo over the summer when we weren't looking. Grape vine wreaths, anyone? And the lantana flowers are totally encroaching on the sidewalk, so that will need to be trimmed too. Oh, and the bougainvilla bush is trying to grab people as they come up the walk, so that has get a good chopping too. Hmmm...maybe set up a good compost pile?

Anyway, in and around games and chores, I did manage to get some things done in the studio. I finished up a second Petroglyph Gourd, which will go into the Etsy shop as soon as I get the candle and holder for the inside of it.

















































Have you ever tried to get to sleep at night, only to have your personal muse come tapping on your brain? That happened to me the other night. I lay there, 2 am in the morning, and ideas kept playing pinball in my skull. One in particular formed fully enough that I had to get up and go write it down so it would just leave me alone.

So, today I went out to the shed and picked out gourds that might fit the vision. I'll work on them next week, and see if I can tease the image into physical form. If I do it right, it will make an awesome looking wall hanging. Stay tuned!


Last week at SCA practice, a friend asked me if I could give them some pointers with card weaving. So this afternoon I warped up a belt in maroon and black, so I will be able to take it with me to practice tomorrow night. This was an experiment for me. I've done quite a bit of card weaving before, but I've always used a backstrap loom to weave on. This time, I decided to put the weaving on a rigid heddle loom that I had lurking around at the back of my supply closet. That took a bit of figuring. So far, I like using the backstrap better. But I'll see how it goes once I get the hang of it.












So far, so good. We'll have to see what calls more tomorrow--the yard outside, or the studio inside. Maybe I'll just take my weaving out to the back yard, and enjoy the sun shine and warm breezes while I create something beautiful. Now, that sounds like a good plan!

Gourd #10: Glowing Petroglyphs

With the inspiration from yesterday's experiments in mind, I went out to the shed and picked out a gourd for today's artwork. This is what it looked like before I got started. Not very promising, is it? But there is gold hidden under the wax and mold, honest!



I scrubbed it and cleaned it out. I dyed it with leather dyes, and wood burned along the rims. I took some time researching the petroglyphs of the US South West, then painted some of them on the gourd with leather dye and a Q-tip. And then I took a dremel to the lines, to poke holes for the candle light to come through. Here is the finished product:























































I am really pleased with the way it turned out! I actually designed this one in my head last night while I was modeling. Hey, you have to do something when you can't move for 40 minutes, you know?

There is a sale pending on this piece, so you won't see it in the Etsy store. But I like it so much that I'll probably make a similar one sometime soon.