Each creation is uniquely handmade, woodburned, hand carved, etc. It is all done freehand, there are no stencils used in the designs. I live for unreachable limits, breaks in rhythm, things that don't make sense, rough edges, open minds, thought without shape, endless possibilities, raw canvases, and all things natural and wild. Which is why I love gourds. I like that they have a say in how things are done. I don't try to manipulate them all the way, or to control what I do to the point it's 'perfect'. I like letting the gourd say where and how it gets burned and where and how much color it will soak up. I love to do this, I love to pour myself and my energy into creating something aesthetically enriching and sometimes functional. Some of these I start with an idea. Sometimes I will base the entire design on one particular aspect of the gourd (as with Maple Drip, the entire thing revolved around the stem). Sometimes I am directed (as with Rooted in Flames) to do a certain thing. Sometimes I just wing it. And sometimes, I finish one and say to me, "What the heck is THAT?!?" It's not often I attempt a duplicate (can't really be done anyway, I can't even make meatloaf the same way twice). Usually, I am moved to do something, I do it, and it's the only one I ever do.
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