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Caring for your outdoor gourd art

Gourds mature on the vine in one growing season. They must then be dried for one year before they can be made into art objects. When the gourds are ready to use, each one is selected carefully to become a unique, one of a kind art object.

Once I select a gourd for a particular art object, in this case, outdoor birdhouses, I decide what type of design to place on the birdhouse. I carefully draw on the outer surface of the gourd, keeping the design as consistent as possible. Your birdhouse is hand carved by chip carving with each cut creating one chip. Alternating the chip creates a unique design on the gourd surface.

After carving the outer layer, the gourd is colored using leather dye. Because each gourd surface is different, the same color dye will produce many shades depending on the gourd surface. A softer skin will absorb more dye, making it appear darker, while a harder skin will absorb less dye, making it appear lighter. After applying the dye, sometimes I reverse carve chips into the surface, making them appear lighter by exposing the raw gourd beneath, creating a contrast that is pleasing to the eye.

Because the surface of the skin is exposed to the elements, and once the color is dry, I apply a layer of brown or neutral shoe polish. This protects the unprotected exposed areas under colored layer of the gourd. I apply three or more coats of Minwax Helmsman spar urethane to protect the gourd surface for those being used outdoors.