The newsletter is sent 4 times a year to TVGS members! Here is a sample of what is in the current issue of the newsletter:
Smiley Frog
by Leigh Adams
The current newslwtter has step-by-step
directions for creating this project.
Member spotlight:
Pamela Bennett: Pamela and her art was featured in The Daily Citizen, a local newspaper in Dalton Georgia, in March 2007. Pamela loves the primitive, geometric images left by the Indians before the 1600s, and wants to recreate their designs. But that was a total failure until she remembered she could paint, Bennett said. Pamela has been painting on gourds for nearly 3 years now. Every gourd has a story, Bennett stated. I want to display the gourds and I want people to touch and shake them….I want to bring history to life. Originally from Athens, GA, Pamela has several painted gourds, and even more unpainted ones, in and around her Chatsworth home. She has small ones that rattle when you shake it and larger ones with brightly colored feathers sticking out and small seashells dangling on leather straps . She also has several with the tops cut off for bowls. Pamela uses earth tones, mixing red clay and copper into some of the patterns. When she doesn’t use the pigments found in nature, she uses regular craft paint. Pamela has gourds in various stages in her backyard. Some are recently gathered and dirty, some are soaking in a bleach mix, and others are drying in the sun on a tarp. Bennett said “One fun thing about gourds is uncovering their natural beauty.” Pamela has had an adventurous life, she has lived in Brazil, California, Hawaii and now back in Georgia.
More topics: Deciding maturity dates, Trellis or not trellis, Deciding a fair price for your work, Stink gourd?, Planting calendar, Making natural dyes from plants, Taking and understanding soil samples, Terminology, Crossword puzzle, New website ...and more!
We would also like to include more information about our members, member photos, and about local gourd patches. Members, please send me a short story about you. How did you become involved with gourds? What is your favorite type? Etc. Send photos of your gourd art. (If you send photos via e-mail lisaroberson1@netzero.com, be sure to reduce the file size first!) Send us information about your local patches.
