Jerry's Gourd Art, Pyroengraving and Jewelry
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WELCOME TO GHOSTOWL ARTS


I doodled constantly when I was in high school.   My teachers didn't buy the idea that it helped me concentrate, but I still say it did!   

Even when busy being a grown-up,  I was always dabbling in something creative, whether it was painting, sketching, silversmithing or carving.  I have also always been a student of Native American culture because of my grandmother's Cherokee history.   After being introduced to the beautiful sounds of the Native American flute by Robert Tree Cody,  I began making Native-American style wooden flutes, which expanded into Native-American style drums  and rattles.  Along the way, my wife asked me to make some small woodburned gourd ornaments for the Christmas tree.  Those little gourds seemed to bring together all of the doodling, carving  and such that I had been doing for years.    I still doodle if forced to sit quietly, and I still like to experiment with other mediums, but these days gourds are the center of my creative life.  My wife thinks it just might be because the artwork on the gourds involves so many of the things we guys love, fire, sharp objects, and a lot of mess!  

                                                                                                                                                                                            

Thanks for stopping by, let me know if you have any questions, I'll be glad to help

                                                                                                                                                                                             

Jerry "Ghost Owl"

Email:  ghostowl1948@msn.com

 

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE GOURDS


I live in Arizona and I have not had any luck at all in growing gourds here...except for a few that came up volunteer last year!  So I buy my gourds, mostly from Wuertz Farm in Coolidge, Arizona.  Thank goodness someone knows how to make gourds grow in Arizona!   I  work on gourds that are completely dried.  First, the waxy protective coating on the outside of the gourd must be removed.   There are a lot of different tools and techniques for this process, probably because gourders are always looking for an easier way to do this difficult task!  I soak the gourd in water, then scrape it with a knife.
 

After scraping the outside of the gourd, I clean the seeds and such from the inside of the gourd.  I then draw the design onto the gourd with a pencil.  I use a woodburner to burn the design into the gourd, and saws to cut out the lids and other designs.

After the design on the gourd is complete, I may add color with oil pencil, leather stain, dye, ink or metallics. Sometimes I add inlays with stones, metals or beads.