"A Passion for Gourds"
The gourd art of Grace Swanson, Encinitas resident, will be on display and for sale in the lighted cubes in the lobby of the Encinitas Branch Library from Wednesday, February 26 until Monday, April 14, 2014.
Swanson says, "Before I discovered the world of gourds, I was a watercolor painter. I tried plein air, portraits, landscapes and still life, but my passion was for flowers and leaves. Perhaps that stemmed from (pardon the pun) the fact that I am a docent for San Diego Botanic Garden. At any rate, I kept coming back to botanicals.
My interest in gourds began as a small child, born and raised in Nigeria. I knew that the Nigerian people used gourds for everything from storing food to spoons to holding cosmetics. When I saw a class on gourd art offered by San Diego Botanic Garden I decided to give it a try. The feel and smell of the burning gourd just took me ‘home’. I was hooked.
Some of my gourds may serve a function as vessels and bowls. However, most of my designs are meant to be appreciated for its own sake. Gourds can easily slip into the area of craft — painted to look like snowmen, santas, and little animals — or made into lamps and bird houses. This, however, does not appeal to me. I prefer to see how elegant, simple and sophisticated the lowly gourd can become. Working on gourds is very much like working in wood. I use a lot of wood-working tools. Gourds can be cut, burned, polished, drilled, carved and dyed. Almost anything can be used as an embellishment, although I prefer to use natural materials.
Gourds have taken over my life. My brushes, paints and canvas have been pushed to one side as I explore the wonderfully tactile, three dimensional world of gourds. My gourds are sold through the Off Track Gallery located at 937 South Coast Highway 101, Suite C-103 (behind Starbucks), downtown Encinitas, CA 92024. All current gourds available for purchase may be viewed at GourdsByGrace.com. Email swanson121@cox.net for prices and more information."
The Encinitas Public Library is located at 540 Cornish Drive, Encinitas. Library hours are Monday thru Thursday, 9:30-8, Friday thru Saturday 9:30-5 and Sunday 12-5. The show is made possible by the City of Encinitas Civic Art Program which provides solo and group exhibition opportunities to local artists. Six-week-long two-dimensional and three-dimensional exhibits are mounted each year at civic galleries located in City Hall, the Encinitas Library, and the Encinitas Senior/Community Center. The City of Encinitas Civic Art Program was established in 2001 as a service to local artists and is an initiative of the City of Encinitas Commission for the Arts.
