Kathy Kopjak

Some people might ask, “What is a gourd patch and what do you do at a Patch meeting”? The answer to that is as follows, Spirit of the Desert shall be directed to the education and instruction of those persons who are interested in the growing, culture, uses, history, crafting and fine art of gourds. In other words we foster the art of gourding.

Along with encouraging our members to stretch their abilities and their art, we assign a mentor (an experienced patch member) to each new person who joins our group. The mentor sets up a time to meet with the new member and shows them the safe way to cut and clean gourds, different types of paint to use on the gourd for different finishes and also the experience of using different tools specific to gourding. Having the advantage of using a tool firsthand makes the decision of which tools to buy a little easier. Each new member can expect to finish one gourd and a name badge with their mentor.

Each meeting has a business portion, a demo of different aspects of gourd art and a segment on Show ‘n Share where the members bring a sample of the art work they have completed whether it is a class they have taken or original artwork, sharing any problems that occurred along the way. Sharing what one artist had problems with can save other artists from the same pitfalls.

Our next meeting will be held Thursday, October 16 from 4:00-6:00 p.m. at the Sun Lakes Country Club. Membership is open to anyone in the Valley who is interested in gourds.

For more information about The Spirit of the Desert Gourd Patch, contact Vicki McKenna at 480-802-1632 or Shirley Nesbitt at 480-247-6102. This would be a perfect time to join us for some great fun with gourds. Have a safe and fun summer and see everyone in the fall.