LARNED — Meet Patti Connery and her husband, side-kick, Ron. Patti is an artist, and she creates beautiful products out of, guess what? Gourds. When I heard about her beautiful artistry, I contacted her, wanting to see them for myself.
Patti and Ron have always created art beauty from different mediums at different times in their lives. She explained, “We started working with gourds about 7 years ago. Up to that point, we did wood carving, and way before that, we created stain glass objects. Patti added, “I didn’t like working with the glass, because I was afraid I would hurt myself.” When they were involved in the wood carving artistry, they belonged to a wood carving club in Great Bend. Then, every August, Patti and Ron would drive their camper to New Mexico and Colorado to learn from and with other wood carvers from other states.
“While there, we heard about this lady who was a gourd crafter. She taught classes on gourd crafting and people paid big bucks to take her classes. She said to my friend and I, “go get a gourd and I will show you how to do it!” We were so thrilled. That’s how we got started!
The Connerys order their gourds from the Welburn Gourd Farm in California where they obtain thick-shelled California gourds. The Kansas gourds are not as hearty, and very thin shelled. When the gourds arrive, Ron cuts the tops off with a special saber crafting saw. The top part can also be cut further down the neck to become another small gourd. “Ron is the shop guy. He does the drilling, cutting, and cleaning out the insides,” Patti explained. After removing the seeds and pulp, Ron reams out the middle with a special tool, and the gourds are set inside the basement or shed to dry. When it is time to work with the gourds, Patti is the artist.
“I use a pattern for say, the wolf, and then I wood -burn the picture. I use a Dremel tool to make the pattern stand out more. Sometimes I use pieces of jewelry, some of which belonged to my mom. I strung beads one time, and just lately I took pine cones apart and used them to circle the top of the gourd opening.” She uses a transparent acrylic for her medium.
“Art is like sewing or any other inspiration. You have to be in the mood to start a project. I am a southwest style-type,” she explained. “When I make something for myself, I love it, and don’t sell it for any amount. It’s mine.”
“I made a wolf for a client, and then I had to make another for me. And like the wolf, Ron’s brother wanted one, so I made another for me. I took some of my gourds to the art show at Hillside Envisions, and sold about four or five. I charge enough to pay for my supplies, because there would be no way to charge for the many hours it takes to create a decorated gourd. But I love making these gourds, and Ron and I plan to keep on creating them. They are a lot of fun.”
