Molded Gourds

I was drawn to the idea of shaping gourds after noticing a growing melon that was bulging through a wire fence. I began my project in a similar way: binding and wrapping gourds. I now work with molds of reinforced plaster.

I have always worked with the large, hard-shell, Lagenaria siceraria gourds, also known as calabash or bottle gourds. The diversity of cultivars offers a good variety of sizes and shapes to match fairly closely with the different forms that I am interested in achieving.

In the summer garden, once the flower drops from the nascent, small gourd, it is ready to be carefully inserted into the mold through an opening. The gourd grows into the confines of the mold during the summer season. At first killing frost the stem is cut and the mold is opened. The opening and removal of the gourd from the mold is done very slowly and with great care. When the gourd is finally free, it is put away to dry, which may take from two months to a year. The skin may be wholly scraped away, partially scraped away or not at all depending on the discoloration during drying. The artifact may be mineral oiled or waxed and with reasonable care, it will endure the same as any hard, cellulose, wood-like material.