Charmaine Cook

Artist Gallery – Charmaine Cook

I was drawn to gourds after my brother sent a gourd lamp to my sister as a gift. My response to seeing the lamp was that I had to have one and that I could do it myself!

I started looking online for gourd resources and found Martha VanRiper who grew and sold gourds in Corrales. She was a member of NMGS and opened that wonderful door for me. I immediately developed a marvelous case of Gourd Fever, complete with a black-paint-smear rash!

All the people I’ve met through gourding have been extremely generous with their ideas, experiences, and time. My favorite projects have been some that come out of my head, inspired by the shape or coloration of a particular gourd. I’m sure I haven’t done anything truly original with a gourd. But if an idea is new to me – something I haven’t seen anywhere, it can be a special adventure for me.

I’m very proud of a few of my gourd pieces, and there are far more that I’d rate as OK or even Ugh! But I learn something every time I touch a tool. I’ve learned as much from my mistakes as from my successes.

A big challenge for me is learning to plan and design a project from start to finish before I start. This is very different from my approach to my other love – quilting. When you are building a picture by putting
one piece of fabric on top of another, you can afford to change directions, hide mistakes, and design as you go. But that doesn’t work well with gourds!

I can’t imagine ever running out of ideas for what can be done with gourds, and Pinterest sends me new pictures daily. I’m learning to take my satisfaction from the joy of trying something new and the process
of a gourd project rather than the accomplishment of anything specific.

Gourding lightens my heart and that is a huge gift in my life. My thanks to all members of the NMGS with whom I can share the adventures!

Charmaine Cook