I was amazed at the color palette that the gourds had.
I would say that there was probably some gene tweaking going on.
I read some about how to cure the gourds, that were in a bowl in the house, and it said that they would get nice and moldy while they were drying out.
And it said that one should not leave them in a bowl in their house and breath this mold.
Oh.
I moved them out of the house and let them do their mold thing in private.
Today I looked at some of them and thought I would love a glaze that looked like these moldy gourds.
I know I am not going to develop this glaze so I did the next best think and took pictures instead.
Yum, just look at that mold.
I read that I need to wear a mask while I clean these and I can sure see why.
I am not sure what I will do with them since they are all pretty small.
I had thought bird houses, but I think there is only one large enough for a bird.
Do you remember that wedding vase?
It is coming along.
We spotted 4 fresh water otters today on the pond.
How cool is that?
Life is just full of little gifts.
(Happy Birthday Lee)
did you see peters amazing crystal glazes? looks just like!!
ReplyDeleteI once had a booth next to a girl that made beautiful bowls from gourds like yours, she just waxed them and added a sealer, I bought one I loved them so much. Yours look like Bruce and Samantha glazed them :-)
ReplyDeletePs, I am still holding that fabric for you
Little gifts, indeed, Meredith!! :) You reminded me that I have some little gourds downstairs, so I'd better look at them too..and the mold IS amazing! Love the vase in process..:) Happy Spring to you! Cheers. T.
ReplyDeleteI don't see me making crystalline glazes but maybe I should think about that. They are amazing.
ReplyDeletep.s.... I was so cool to see my comments posted within minutes of two other people from one end of the world to another... Potters/friends united!!! yay!!
ReplyDeleteI don't know much about mold but I once got a headache just reading the firing instructions for crystaline glazes.No thanks. Otters? What an amazing little ecosystem that pond is !
ReplyDeleteBack in my basket maker days I used go down to the Mt Gilead gourd festival. Fields of gourds as far as you old see! Used to soak them in a bucket with a bit of bleach and scrub them with a good stiff brush followed by a scrubby. The only time I had to use a mask was when you cut them and scraped out the innards. Not sure what's in gourd guts but it will just about kill you. You can use leather dye to stain them or just give them a good waxing. If you use them for chips varnish the inside with a couple coats. I used to sew a leather collar around the rim and did a bit of beading on them too. I think I have one left. They wood burn pretty nice too! Have fun, they are beauties :)
ReplyDeleteA couple people already beat me to the punch, but I will say it again anyway. The moldy gourds do indeed have the look of a nice, earthy crystalline glaze. Glaze formulation is not really my thing at the moment, but I am sure someone out there could take a crack at it.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful gourds, wedding vase and otters.. Noticing the simple beauty of the day's gifts is a great way to celebrate and remember someone special. Happy birthday to your sweet Lee.... My dad's birthday was Sunday, and he would have loved the Wildflowers on our walk that day. We talked about him and carried him along with us in our hearts. Kind of sappy, maybe, but true nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteWould love to see those otters they are probably eating all the fish.
ReplyDeleteThe gourds are amazing, and inspiring. I might try some underglaze techniques inspired by these, love the earthiness of them.
Ha Ha, Nature has done it again, made better "crystals" than I can in my kiln, and those were done at room temperature. Aren't those gourds lovely patterns and textures!
ReplyDeleteFirst off Mt Gilead gourd festival! Now I have to look that up.
ReplyDeleteI can see where these gourds could become additive to grow and work with.
Good to be reminded about the insides of them.
You could spend 100 lifetimes working on glazes.
PG- I try to carry those memories with me often. I now Know why people talk to their dearly departed. I like to share a laugh or two with mine.
You know, I spend half my year making gourds and I've never come close to matching the magic of real gourd's surface. I love the color and the texture.
ReplyDeleteI have a glaze I have not used in a couple of years called TOAD which looks a bit like a moldy gourd :) 4 OTTERS? Nice!
ReplyDeleteA glaze like that would be really nice. they look somewhat like some of the crusty pots that have come out of David's kiln.
ReplyDeleteOtters are really sweet to watch, but they will eat your fish. We had a pair that took out all the koi and they were about a foot long! Of course, our pond is much smaller than yours.
Those are really beautiful but I can see why you'd not want them in the house. Please show us some pictures after you clean them up.
ReplyDeleteOtters are so much fun to watch, as long as they don't spit on you.
How coincidental, I stumbled upon this etsy shop this week:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.etsy.com/shop/NaturalArtbyDani
This artist does all sort of things with gourds. She also has a website: http://www.gourdgoddess.com/
Can't wait to see what you decide to do with them.
Otters? You have otters? I was dying to visit before...but now...Otters AND Pots AND Meredith??? Sign me up!
ReplyDeleteTrue blessings! And very cool. Fresh water otters? Love it. And the gourds are wonderful! Not to mention the vase. :-)
ReplyDeleteI see what you mean about the moldy colors~ lovely! If you try Tracey's method can you keep the mold- will sealing them render them 'safe'? Looks like a great project!
ReplyDeleteI would get nothing done if water otters were in my back yard!! How fun are they?!
Otters?! It's bad enough going down to the beaver pond; otters would bring life to a standstill! Have you managed to get any pictures?
ReplyDeleteThe wedding vase is amazing. Can't wait to see it glazed! Elegant!
The gourds look so mysterious and enticing, I think I would keep them for holding. I used to have pretty good luck waxing gourds with a good car wax. It makes the surface richer. I may grow gourds again.
There are days that life, clay, waits while we watch what mother nature has brought to our door.
ReplyDeleteI am thinking about waxing the gourds, that sounds better all the time and paint would just cover them up.
Thanks for all the great suggestions.
Now- I have to go to work!
Otters.. very cool! I may just have to plant the gourd seeds I've had for a while, & see if they're still viable. Love the little gifts.
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