Ray Brown Art
HomeThe Process: From Seed to Finished Work
The seeds are planted at the earliest date after the last frost. The plants are grown organically without chemical fertilizers or insecticides. There are many varieties and sizes of gourds. Care must be taken to separate the plants so that cross-fertilization does not occur. Occasionally, pollination has to be done by hand.
After the first frost the gourds are cut from the dying vines and sorted on the ground by size and shape.
While still green, a gourd may weigh up to 25 lbs. The green gourds are moved to a suitable drying location such as an outbuilding. The drying process takes about 7 months, so from seed planting to the dried usable specimen is around 1 year. The finished dried gourd – with hard wooden shell – weighs about 10% of its original “green” weight. The gourd is covered with a blackish mold, so care should be taken when handling. A dust mask is a must. Before any artwork can begin on the matured gourd, it must be thoroughly cleaned.
thoroughly cleaned. Then it must be cut open and the crusty interior plus seeds have to be removed. This entire preparation process takes a day or two for each gourd.
When the gourd is cleaned and ready for art, I take some time to examine it (few gourds are perfect and one must take what one gets when crafting a particular specimen.) Its unique shape, color or markings may dictate the final design I choose to make. I may carve or pyroengrave and I may use a variety of media, such as oil, acrylic, pastel, watercolor or leather dyes.
