Gourds fascinate me; no two are quite the same. The first decorated gourd I ever saw, I thought was pottery until I picked it up and found it was weightless. Their shape is a thing of beauty ready to work with and embellish. They are related to pumpkin and squash but dry hard. If the gourd is open at the top I use all natural components to finish it. Some are pine needles, sea grass, feathers, reed etc. The designs are burned on and color is applied from leather dyes.Then a few coats of water base Poly urethane is applied for protection.The native American Museum in Warner NH also have my gourds in their shop.
