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Gourd artist May Hogue is a second generation Californian now living in Utah. She began creating art on gourds in 1998. In her words " Gourds call to me to create some thing spiritual. I live surrounded by mountains, I marvel at the seasonal changes in them and I try to mirror those changes in my art."
Gourds are one of the oldest cultivated crops that are believed to have spanned the entire globe in prehistoric times. They were known mostly by cultures located in temperate or tropical zones, because this is where gourds grow best. Gourds were most commonly used for storing supplies, hauling water. Making cooking and eating utinsils, musical instruments, rattles, and bird houses. Today gourds are still considered one of natures greatest gifts to mankind.
There are many surprising aspects of gourds. From their oddly shaped seeds they produce prolific growth. Gourd plants spread and cover or climb everything in their area- fences, trees, and buildings. They require very little care, other than watering. They must be harvested before a killing frost. Even a mild frost will damage them, causing them to rot rather than cure and dry normally. Each gourd, after it is dried and cleaned will have it's own curious shape, and color, along with natural blemishes and scars, which serve to enhance their natural beauty. They aea light and fragile and break if dropped.
Gourd artist Mary Hogue treasures the process of planting and nurturing her own canvas, the hardshell gourds. She designs with neolithic based art forms as well as more contemporary art forms, and takes inspiration from flora and fauna, forest to ocean.
Her unique art work is on display through the July at Peteetneet Museum and Cultural Arts Center from 10 am to 4pm Monday through Friday. For after-hour tours or group tours, please call the Museum at 465-5265. |
