Interview
with Gourd Artist
Andrea Jansen
by Andrea Dominguez |
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Q: How long have you been a gourd artist?
A: I have been working with gourds for
a little over 2 years.
Q: You have a very interesting location for your
studio. Can you tell the readers a bit about it?
A: My studio is my home, which at present
is a boat. About 5 years ago, while living in Oregon, my
husband and I decided we wanted a change of lifestyle. Call
it a mid-life crisis, but we quit our jobs, sold just about
everything we owned and purchased a 1971 Trawler. Starting
out from Florida, we headed south with no particular destination
in mind. We arrived in Puerto Rico 4 months later and fell
in love with the island. We have been ever since.
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Q: When did you begin painting?
A: I began painting 10 years ago as a hobby.
Many years ago I lived and worked in Europe, where I fell in love
with the variety of folk art each country had to offer. Self-taught,
I focused on the Norwegian style of Rosemaling and began working
on furniture, plates and other decorative wooden items.
Q: When and how were you inspired to begin working with
gourds?
A: In 2001 a friend gave me my first gourd,
challenging me to “…see what you can do with this…”.
I had to ask what it was, since I was not very familiar with gourd
art and the gourds here in Puerto Rico are totally different than
those of the States.
| Q: The gourds used
in your artwork are actually called “higüeras.”
How do they differ from Welburn Gourds and other gourds
grown in United States?
A: Well, the major difference is that
the “higüera” (pronounced “ee-gwer-a”)
grows on trees. It is a variety of calabash, and its shell
is much thinner and denser than those grown in the U.S.
Their shapes are round to oval and vary in size from small
billiard balls to large watermelons. The pulp is actually
much like a watermelon, and as the moisture evaporates it
compacts down to a ball. The largest higüeras I have
worked with are approximately 20” in length, which
I thought was huge until I went to the International Gourd
Art Festival at the Welburn Gourd Farm last year! |
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Q: How do you bring the knowledge and skills
from your previous experience into your work with gourds?
A: I would have to say that my experiences traveling
around the world has made the largest impact on my present work.
This may sound strange, but my attitude has always been “no
guts, no glory,” and that is my approach to gourds. I incorporate
elements of various cultures. In addition, I am extremely detail-oriented
and I enjoy adding small, intricate details to my pieces.
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Q: Did you encounter
any specific difficulties when you first began working with
the higüeras?
A: Well, first of all I needed to learn
how to wield a power tool. Starting with a basic drill,
I quickly moved on to my favorite, the Dremel® rotary
tool. Attempts to cut simple shapes resulted in my hand
jerking wildly, which ultimately led to the leaf-edge cuts
I use in many of my pieces. I also found that when I cut
the higüeras while green, the pieces would tend to
warp and crack along the edges as they dried naturally.
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Q: How did you overcome those difficulties?
A: I now dry the higüeras completely prior
to carving. This may take anywhere from 2 to 6 months, but by
that time the higüeras have pretty much done all the twisting
and cracking they are going to do. I then cut around the defects.
It makes the cleaning process more difficult, but the end result
is well worth it. We have higüeras hanging in hammocks up
on the flybridge of the boat to dry, a strange sight, and some
good friends allow us to take advantage of their roof.
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Q: Is your artwork inspired by your local landscape
and culture?
A: Definitely. Puerto Rico is a lush,
tropical island with a wide variety of flora from which
to derive inspiration. I marvel at the propensity of plants
growing wild here; plants which I tried, unsuccessfully,
to grow back home in the States. Traditional Taino Indian
petroglyphs are also featured on some pieces, and of course
the sea brings me a great deal of inspiration. I often see
dolphins swimming around our boat, and the whales we encountered
on the trip down are represented in my Nautical Collection. |
| Q: You create such beautiful and intricate
baskets. Do you find that this is what you enjoy creating
the most? A: Yes, I do, but I
can’t explain why. They just seem more delicate looking
to me, and I enjoy experimenting with different shades of
leaves and flowers. I have a tendency to cover every inch
of my pieces and painting the underside of the handles is
trying at times, but when finished I want to keep each one!
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Q: Your artwork has earned you a very prestigious title
from your local community. Can you explain?
A: I am a certified “Artesana”,
a title awarded by the government agency FOMENTO. Standards are
high, and artists must use natural materials indigenous to Puerto
Rico, capturing the rich culture and beauty of the island. Embellishments
such as semi-precious stones and metals are not allowed, but I
am able to add items such as seashells and seeds. You must be
an Artesan in order to attend many of the shows around the island.
Q: Do you attend any craft shows and festivals in Puerto
Rico and here in the states?
A: There are literally hundreds of festivals
yearly across the island, many by invitation only. Being “on
the circuit” for just over a year, I attend as many as my
schedule allows, and have been pleased and proud to be invited
to some of the most prestigious events. You must understand that
being a “Norteamericana” makes me a bit of an oddity
at these events, but the public has been most enthusiastic. The
International Gourd Art
Festival at the Welburn Gourd Farm was my first off the island,
and I was sponsored by FOMENTO, which was very pleased with my
representation of Puerto Rico and return home with two awards
from the California Gourd Society competition.
Q: What appeals to you most about
attending these types of events?
Dealing with the public is my favorite part. Here in Puerto
Rico, higüeras are most often made into masks and maracas
and gourd art is relatively unknown. I love to see the surprised
look when I explain to people that my pieces are indeed
higüeras. Some do not believe me at all, but most are
amazed and thank me for introducing a new approach to Puerto
Rican art. In California I received similar reactions when
I informed the public that our gourds grow on trees. |
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Q: Which events will you participate in this year?
A lot depends on the sponsorship of FOMENTO, but in addition
to this year’s International Gourd Art Festival at Welburn
Gourd Farm, I hope to attend the Illinois Gourd Society’s
show at the Chicago Botanical Garden in September and a show in
Westchester, New York in the fall. My website lists a schedule
of upcoming events.
Q: Can you offer any tips, suggestions or words of wisdom
to our readers who are just beginning their journey of gourd crafting
or even those who are seasoned crafters?
A: Don’t be afraid to experiment. Breaking
into your first gourd may be daunting, but remember, this is not
brain surgery. My background is in Business Management, and as
a child art classes used to make me break into a sweat. We learn
from our mishaps, and I often tell my students, “We are
not born knowing how to paint…anyone can learn if they have
the desire.” Carving and painting are only a couple of options
to working with gourds, so use your creativity and just go wild!
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Q: Where can we purchase your gourd art?
A: You may purchase my art through my
website, www.jansendesigns.com.
Here in Puerto Rico my work is on display at the Galeria
Cayo Caribe in La Parguera. |
You can see more of Andrea Jansen’s gourd art at the 8th
Annual International Gourd Art Festival at the Welburn Gourd Farm,
June 26th and 27th. For more details, click
here.
In the meantime, to see more of Andrea’s work visit her
website at www.jansendesigns.com.
You may contact her directly via e-mail at the following address:
andrea@jansendesigns.com,
or call her at (787) 309-7197.
If you have an article or project submission for
The Gourdzette, we would love to hear from you! Please send article
or idea for an article to editor@gourdzette.com.
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Last year the California Gourd Society (CGS), devised a brilliant
plan for bringing gourd artists together and raising funds for
the chapter -- the creation of one spectacular "Community"
gourd, which would include artwork contributed by members of each
of the 22+ Gourd Patches (the regional groups that comprise the
California Gourd Society).
The giant gourd, donated by the Welburn Gourd Farm, has been
traveling from artist to artist, patch to patch, since August
of 2002 and has been nicknamed "The Traveling Gourd."
The gourd travels with a special journal, and each artist who
contributes to the gourd also includes a personal entry in the
accompanying journal.
To allow everyone to see the gourd as it progresses, photos displaying
each new artist's addition as well as the journal entries, are
featured here in The Gourdzette. To learn how the gourd got started,
click here.
Bakersfield
Patch
Betty Finch of the Bakersfield Patch
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My first thoughts? Why do I get volunteered for the non-paying
jobs? I knew I would get stuck doing it!
At the February 2003 Patch Leaders meeting I chose a small
space… Then pondered what was most appropriate for
it. The existing work was so spectacular I began to realize
it was a privilege rather than a burden to be a part of
this project and felt compelled to honor the gourd and the
growers who provide them.
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The likeness of the well-known farmer who donated the Traveling
Gourd seemed the perfect icon to represent gourd growers everywhere.
He could be looking over his crop of gourds and a few would be
evolving into works of art. I showed a quick sketch of my idea
to digital camera toting, Leigh Adams, and she readily agreed
to secretly take and email the necessary Doug Welburn profile.
| November 3, 2003, with heart-felt
hugs of encouragement from the handoff-artist, Charlene,
Crate in car, I conjured up positive thoughts like “challenge”
on the drive home. The gourd was well-sanded by the time
I gathered the courage to put a hot tool to the surface.
My eyesight has suffered with age so ample light and strong
magnification was a necessity. If only I could have moved
the little gourd pot that was right where my hand needed
to rest to woodburn Doug’s face! |
Profile of Doug Welburn
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My mind thinks in pictures so it is easier for me to use pictures
than words to convey feelings. To try to put it into words…
I am saying, “Thank you, growers of the gourd, for providing
canvas and clay that lends itself so well to art that it virtually
participates in the process.”
Thank you CGS for the opportunity to “get stuck doing
it.”
Betty Finch
Bakersfield Patch
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