Description:

Sunday, March 18
Time: 1-4pm
Cost: $60 with a $15 material fee paid directly to the instructor, Members save $6

Participants are given a cleaned gourd bowl 5”-7” inches in diameter. Using a heat controlled wood - burner they stencil maple leaves onto the bowl. Students are then taught how to blend the metallic ink dye colors together to create the beautiful shimmering look of the leaves. To complete the gourd instructor will demonstrate how to decoupage the center of the bowl with maple leaf tissue supplying the Mod Pod and tissue for this step which can be done at home. This bowl can be used for dried flowers, candy or just as a beautiful center piece. No tools are required from participants. Instructor supplies all equipment and dyes necessary to complete the final project. Photo illustrates what participants will make but there will be no cutouts on the top.

Teaching artist, Ceil Rossi, lived in Arizona for over 26 and it was during this time she discovered gourds, the magical art form of the southwest. Her earthy artwork is grown from the ground and it’s these hard shelled vessels that have perpetuated her passion for art. A unique medium for any New England artist, nature’s pottery has helped Ceil Rossi of Agawam nurture her creativity.

The gourd has a smooth buttery skin with varying shapes and it is like working on wood and canvas at the same time. But, instead of being a flat canvas, the gourd is a 3-dimensional art form that can be carved, wood-burned, and painted. The paints that Ceil uses are transparent so you can see the mottled skin of the gourd. “You don’t want to cover up the skin of the gourd because it’s part of the beauty of that gourd,” says Ceil.

She learned from the best, taking classes from well-known gourd artists in the Southwest. Ceil became a respected member of the gourd artist community. She then opened her own gallery, The Carefree Gourd Gallery and teaching studio in the quaint town of Carefree, Arizona.

Ceil’s work can be seen in several gallery’s around Massachusetts and Connecticut and she has participated and won honors in several Fine Art shows. She also teaches in Avon, West Hartford and Windsor, Ct. and at her studio in Agawam, Ma. She is a member of many art organizations in Western Ma. and Ct. She also lectures on the history, art and culture of the gourd, From Field to Fine Art.