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In an annual rite of autumn, anyone can carve a pumpkin.
But gourds? That requires patience and a passion that goes far beyond Halloween.
Ask any serious "gourder." This curious vine has wrapped around their hearts and taken hold.
In gourds, retired teacher Leann Cooke of Elk Grove, Calif., found an outlet for her creativity.
"When I retired, I thought I'd go nuts without something to do," said Cooke, who started carving gourds nine years ago. "Then, I found this special place where I can fill up my soul."
Sculptors carve gourds to create art
Seeded on Thu Oct 28, 2010 12:47 PM EDT
Article Source: The Nashville Tennessean- Enjoy this article? Help vote it up the 'Vine.
- Public Discussion (4)
Working hundreds of hours on some gourds, she painstakingly creates delicate works of art — burning, carving, etching, dyeing, painting and polishing to perfection.
"People think it's like carving a pumpkin, which is another kind of gourd," Cooke explained. "But they don't appreciate the amount of work that goes into the process. Pumpkins stay soft; gourds are hard as wood."
Gourds are a lot of work — for grower and carver.
Carved gourds are just as beautiful as carved pumpkins (sometimes more so.)
As far as carving though, I will leave that to the professionals.
- 2 votes
#1 - Thu Oct 28, 2010 12:51 PM EDTNow that I know the tradition behind them I can appreciate them for their beauty and former purpose!
- 2 votes
#3 - Fri Oct 29, 2010 12:43 PM EDTMe too! I've seen them at craft booths at holiday fairs in the Fall. I go to Cherokee, NC to see family and friends and I've seen quite a lot of gourd art in the shops as well. But I don't know anyone personally, who does that type of artwork. There's a lot of time and effort involved and land is very sparse in places like Cherokee. But then people bring them from all over the country to sell during festivals.
- 2 votes
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