About Me My name is Vanessa Hughes and I started selling my gourds a year ago as a senior in high school. I am a true fanatic for the arts and have even participated in performance art. My first opportunity to show my gourds was at Vista High School’s Winter Art Show and Auction. I now sell my art at a few gourd shows every year which allows me to be a full time student in college and continue my work with gourds and other media. I love doing demos, which always captures peoples curiosity and gives an easy opportunity for them ask questions in a comfortable environment. I enjoy promoting the importance of arts in our schools, and how much I have benefited from those programs and art in general.

My Gourds All of my gourds are fully wood-burned using a detail master wood burner. Even the black background is wood-burned, so unlike stains or dyes that are commonly used, the finish will not fade or bleed. The burning process also gives a depth not achieved with stains. The entire process can take me anywhere between 5 and 30 hours. My typical subject matter is orchids and other tropical flora, but due to increased requests for custom orders of turtles, humming birds, and other tropical motifs, I have started branching out. The orchids that are depicted on my gourds are all botanically correct. I own over 400 varying varieties of common and rare orchids. What gives my gourds that life like quality is the ability to step right outside my workroom, into my shade house full of orchids.

I feel another reason my gourds are popular aside from the subject matter, is the sensory aspect of the art. The detail of the design or depth of the background draws the eye closer, as the shape invites the hands to experience supple texture made by the burner into the flesh of the gourd. It’s much like that irresistible impulse to touch a fine piece of woodwork or sculpture, except this is touchable. It allows the viewer to become apart of the art and connect with the piece. This is a concept that speaks to me and judging by the response to my work, it does for others. Because of this, I like to offer some small versions of my work; ranging from 1 to 5 inches. These petite sizes also offer the customer a sample of my work without the size and commitment of a larger two to three foot piece.

Monotone There is only one color I use with my gourds; black from the burning. The other color on the gourds is the natural color of the gourd. Every gourd comes unclean from a farm in Fallbrook and it isn’t until I remove the dirt and mold that I get to see the true character of the gourd. These elements give each gourd its own pattern of staining, so no two gourds are alike. The same holds true for my design, which leans toward an art nouveau quality and the gourd shape also lends itself to the very simple curving lines of orchids. It gives me a unique opportunity to portray the sometimes missed beauty of these plants.

Link to my performance art page: http://www.thevillagenews.com/story.php?story_id=20981

My studio/ home is open to anyone visiting the San Diego area. Let me know when your in town and you can come by for a visit. ~Vanessa

ArtWanted.com Gallery:   Art/Drawing Misc.
Past Clients:   Noahs Ark Learning Center, First Lutheran Curch Vista