"Spirit Blossom # 2...For Phyllis..."

This is the second Spirit Blossom in my series and was made for a dear friend of mine here in Arizona. She found the gourd at the Wuertz Gourd Farm near Casa Grand Arizona.

It is different from my first gourd in the fact that it has not been cut open and gutted. When you shake it you can hear the seeds and the dried gourd membrane inside the gourd seemingly speaking to you.

The quotation I used on this gourd reads: "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take...but by the moments that take our breath away." (author unknown) Also, placed within the tangles of the vines at the base of the gourd is reference to a scriptural passage that is special to Phyllis. The traditional native American spirit line is also designed into the composition of the artwork. I feel this is a truly "spiritual" piece.

The art process in designing this piece was the same as Spirit Blossom # 1 shown in and an earlier post. The artwork was drawn directly on to the cleaned gourd surface with a black fine point Faber Castell Pitt Penn. The ink in these pens is permanent. The gourd was then sprayed upon completion with a clear acrylic finish.

Making this art piece for Phyllis invigorated my spirit as in the same way that drawing or painting in the out of doors would. There is a "magic" in working with natural things. The piece now sits in Phyllis's home in a special place of its own where she can enjoy its beauty and renew in its serenity.

If I get lonely for it all I have to do is make a visit. :)

Spirit Blossom #1

This is the first "Spirit Blossom" I designed. Incorporated into its composition are two of my many favorite quotations. The first quotation is "Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life"-Pablo Picasso. The second quotation "Nature is God's art" (-Author unknown) is not clearly visible in these photographs.

I intended these art pieces to become a statement of life incorporationg the natural beauty of the gourd with the intrinsic beauty of the spirit. My drawings were inspired by traditional floral designs and motifs illustrated by Madeleine Orban Szontagh.

In one manner of Indian gourd decoration, there is often a "spirit line". Such a line is made to insure there is a positive flow of energy from the spirit world to the world of mankind. In this art piece the "spirit line" begins at the base of the gourd, flows through the floral designs, and then enters the interior of the gourd through the opening at the top. Drawing on such a natural surface as this gourd brought a new earthiness into my art life and enabled my own personal spirit to fly.