Artists carve a niche with gourds
Club members will present art show in October
By Sylvie Belmond belmond@theacorn.com

GOOD GOURD ALL MIGHTY—Paula Collins shows off a gourd she decorated. Collins and her friends in the Channel Island Gourd Society enjoy carving and ornamenting gourds, a hard-shelled vegetable. Gourds are grown around the world for use as cups, bowls and musical instruments.

Paula Collins discovered the art of decorating gourds four years ago at the Ventura County Fair. Since then, the artist who lives in Fillmore and works in Moorpark has won two Best of Show nominations for her submissions to the local fair.

"I like the natural element of working on gourds. They all have different shapes and different markings," said Collins, who also designs wearable art and doll clothing.

A gourd is the hollow, dried shell of a fruit in the Cucurbitaceae family, which includes cucumbers, squashes and melons. Most gourds, however, are not harvested for consumption. Many cultures throughout the world cultivate them to make bowls, bottles and musical instruments, including drums. Artists have been decorating the woodlike shell of gourds with paint or carvings for thousands of years.

"I prefer to work with sheer colors to let the natural markings show through," Collins said.

The local resident likes to use a hot tool to wood burn Native American patterns on her gourds. She adds elements such as sea grass, pine needles and coiled rims for texture, she said.

At the Channel Island Gourd Society, Collins is especially known for her gourd purses.

The society has about 60 members who promote the culture, use, history, horticulture and crafting of gourds. They meet monthly in the Santa Rosa Valley to share their artwork and techniques with each other.

"Paula is one of our most talented artists. She creates the most beautiful Native American pieces of art," said Cathy Agnew, a Moorpark resident and fellow gourd artist.

"Gourding is fun and exciting and there are so many facets that you are only limited by your imagination," she said.

Working on gourds is satisfying, creative, relaxing, and fun and provides an outlet for meeting others with the same interest, said Karen Moya, a Thousand Oaks resident and member of the society.

Decorated gourds also make great gifts, said Collins' employer, Jodi Bagwell, co-owner of Bagwell Construction. "Her art is beautiful, we have it all over our office," she said.

Collins and other local artists will participate in the Gourd Art Show scheduled to take place at the Moorpark Active Adult Center in early October. The event will feature demonstrations and displays hosted by several members of the Channel Island Gourd Society.