I am The Domestic Gourdess™, Maven of Mirth and Magic,
the Diva of Whimsy and Grand Gourd Master of all things Hooey-ish.
BIO
I love whimsy, magic, faerie tales and downright silliness. I am a self-taught gourd artist and love to write. My joy of writing was rekindled in 2003 because of my son. When he was four he claimed all items colored blue as his. Shortly after that the story of “Blue for Me!” dropped into my head. The bug had bitten and the muse called me forth to write.
The following year I was introduced to Gourd Woman. She fascinated me. The mantra, “I can make Gourdesses! I can make Gourdesses!” drummed through my head. I researched dried gourd art on-line and entered into a delightful and whimsical world.
Inspiration will hit when I least expect it. In the wee months of 2010 I was re-reading “Shogun” by James Clavell. In one scene two characters have a contest creating Haiku. I fell in love with it’s delicious descriptive simplicity. It wasn’t long after that I started playing with this Japanese form of poetry. I’m currently playing with a looser and bit less restrictive Japanese form called Gogyohka.
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
I am the mouse and gourds are Nature’s pied pipers whispering promises of creative adventure. Playing with gourds makes me happy, stretches my creative comfort zone and feeds my creative beastie. I can burn them, carve them, paint them and sculpt with them. I like to think I’m a gourd whisperer, able to see the hidden beauty beneath their dull dusky exterior. My whimsical art usually has a story or poem to share.
Writing poetry forces me to slow down, take notice of the present moment and express it in a compact manner. It’s capturing a snap shot of my mundane world to see the divinity of life.
My gourd artwork, short stories, and poetry capture the whimsy of life, remind me to smile more and giggle often even people are watching!
“If the essence of my being has caused a smile to have appeared upon your face or a touch of joy witihin your heart, then in living I have made my mark.” – Thomas L. Odem Jr.
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