Age: 50+

Email: gvbmarch@comcast.net

Title of Square: Roundabout Square

About My Square:

The confines of the box actually "freed" me to move in a new direction beyond my comfort level. I enjoyed working with small pieces and manmade found objects for a change to create something rhythmic and fanciful.

About Me:

Artist's Statement
The natural shape of the gourd anchors each of my works as a simple, yet imposing form. Adding natural materials to this form provides tension and harmony through contrast. Many of my vessel forms have fitted lids, handles, footers and cut openings that invite exploration and discovery

Working with gourds is a sensuous experience, granting me an intimate interaction with my chosen medium. In their natural state, an amazing array of shapes and sizes, color and texture offer endless visual and tactile appeal. When shook, the seeds within recall an ancient, primal beat. Their odor is subtle, earthy. As I transform these organic forms into vessels, my senses are further engaged. I love the woody feel and scent as I saw and sand, the hidden beauty revealed when dye colors are applied. Adding found, natural materials to each piece, such as bamboo, pods, or bone, I am awed by the beauty and intricacy of what is typically discarded or ignored. Fish bones are my favorite – sculptural and translucent, they take on an almost spiritual quality.

Used as utilitarian, ceremonial and art objects by numerous cultures throughout the world, the gourd is a beautiful example of our universal connection to nature. Through my work, I seek to celebrate its rich heritage.

Brief Bio:

Interior Designer by education and career
Started creating gourd sculptures in 1999
Numerous juried & invitational shows, exhibitions & awards throughout the U.S.
Recipient of an Art Ventures Grant from The Community Foundation in Jacksonville

Upcoming Exhibitions:

"Ten Good Women" - 8th Annual Invitational - Oct. 7, 2010 through Jan. 7, 2011 - Women's Center of Jacksonville

"Art Ventures 20 Year Retrospective" - Nov. 16, 2010 through Jan. 3, 2011 - Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, Jacksonville, FL

Imagination is.... the mind's playground!