Meet Our Featured Artist
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Introducing Carole Corchaine-Poitras
Relatively new to gourd art, Carole Courchaine-Poitras earned First Place in The Gourd Magazine’s Fall 2025 Gourd Crafting Contest with her wine decanter just 5 years after making her first gourd. She is primarily self-taught. A Canadian native, Carole Courchaine-Poitras was born and raised in Kapuskasing, a small town in northern Ontario. She moved to the Ottawa region many years ago, and now spends her summers in Rockland, Ontario, near Ottawa. She is a “snowbird” and spends the colder months at a 55+ resort in Yuma, Arizona. Our Featured Artist is inspired by the environment she’s in when crafting a gourd, be it nature, culture or events. In Canada her designs have included cattails, blue herons, bears and other wildlife. In AZ her designs shift toward the drier climate and indigenous symbols including cacti, pottery, and figures such as Kokopelli. Lacking a “studio,” Carole’s crafting space in Canada is their 2nd bedroom/office. In Arizona it is her dining table. She finds it easier to limit the clutter in both places by loading a rolling tote bag with the gourds, tools, and supplies for the project she’s working on so that everything is easy to manage and quickly accessible. When in Canada her gourd art is a solo pursuit since she doesn’t have access to a gourd patch or other similar groups. In Arizona Carole works on gourds with friends who help each other and share ideas and pointers. In this setting she was introduced to making gourd wine decanters by Maggie Thornton who provided them with kits that included gourds and supplies for creating the decanter. Carole’s first wine decanter primarily utilized wood burning for decoration. When her sister-in-law Sylvie admired it, Carole ordered a second kit to make a decanter for her. Sylvie’s only request was that the gourd design include hummingbirds. Carole created a design that links the hummingbirds back to a theme of “Nature’s Nectar” which includes wine! With this decanter Carole added color using transparent inks and acrylic paint. When planning a gourd project, Carole may combine multiple drawings she has viewed online to come up with a design or be inspired to create her own. Combining four drawings and adding her own touch is what Carole did for her winning entry. She prefers to work out her design and color scheme on paper prior to even touching the gourd. It allows her to think through her process and helps her avoid mistakes. Using this process allows her to make changes to her original idea before she marks or cuts the gourd. As she says, “I can always make tweaks as I proceed with my art piece, but I start with a clear direction.” Carole has ordered gourds from Welburn Gourd Farm and from Wuertz Gourd Farm. As she says, “You can’t really grow them when you’re living in a condo and retirement resort!” But while in Arizona she is able to visit Wuertz and select gourds for specific projects. Her “favorite gourd” is usually her most recently finished piece, as Carole adds more and more techniques to her repertoire. She enjoys giving her gourds as gifts for family and friends. Not surprisingly, Carole’s least favorite part of gourd crafting is cleaning the exterior. She is a perfectionist who enjoys cleaning the insides of her gourds, using cleaning balls and a variety of scrapers followed by sanding them over and over until she achieves a silky interior. Our Featured Artist has always found satisfaction when working with her hands. She enjoys sewing and knitting and is teaching herself how to crochet. Although she doesn’t do it often, she’s intrigued by refinishing furniture. She has begun to draw and paint and relies on her artistic daughter Renée to offer tips and guidance on technique and materials. Given that she’s never had access to classes, Carole encourages other newcomers not to be discouraged if they don’t have access to classes. “Join Facebook groups and don’t be shy about asking questions so you can learn from their tips. The people in these groups are very helpful and often speak from experience.” Other sites she finds helpful are GourdArtTalk.com, Wellburn Farm and YouTube for tutorials and Pinterest for inspiration. When we spoke Carole had just finished her 14th gourd. She points out that the satisfaction she gains from exercising her creativity and completing each gourd always adds to her quality of life. 
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