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Note: If using Outlook click the above bar where it says “Click to download photos” The photos are the best part.
Cannonball Gourd by Ivy Howard In This Issue: Ivy Howard is a passionate artist. Growing up in a home filled with paint, clay and a kiln, gourds seemed like a natural extension of sorts many years later. Each of Ivy's gourds are uniquely different and portray the creative depths her mind moves in. Ivy is also an award-winning basket designer. The twelve inch pine needles she uses are transformed into works of art that are showing up in collections across the U.S. Please welcome Ivy Howard to the October issue of Gourd Fever.  Basket by Ivy Howard It is harvest time and throughout the country farmers are busy getting in their crops. In Ken Carlson's garden he is busy thinking about his upcoming harvest along with thoughts about longevity and health. Of course Paula and her 96 year old mother are there to help him out with their take on the subject. Hilarious as only Ken can be, enjoy this month's essay The Secret to Health and Longevity.  Michelle Ballantyne's Snowmen Our mailbag was bulging at the seams with photos and comments and then there is the usual trivia. We like the trivia as we get to learn something new every month. For example our "Other Stuff" segment is all about the promiscuous female mouse. The reason for this behavior is not what you may think. But before we get to that let's introduce this month's featured artist Ivy Howard. Ivy Howard: Art - Forms A Bridge For Communication  There is an old saying that you can take the girl off the farm but you cannot take the farm out of the girl. This proves true in the case of Ivy Howard. Growing up on a Iowa farm with her 6 siblings, Ivy gave up the farm life and moved to Colorado as a young woman. There she got married, began a 25 year career as an orthopedic nurse and now retired, lives up in the Colorado mountains. Looking back Ivy states that during childhood she was always surrounded by multiple forms of art. Her mother, creative in her way, filled the house with clay, molds, paints, brushes, a kiln, fabric, yarn and an environment which invited experimentation. For many years, Ivy's passion was tole painting. Once Ivy discovered gourds however, her passion changed lanes and she found that she was content with just focusing on gourds alone. She bought gourd books, took classes, attended gourd festivals and spent hours surfing the Internet. She claimed that it must have been the farm girl in her that drew her to the humble gourd.  Ivy's approach varies from gourd to gourd. She often lays inlay polished cabochons in her work or uses smaller cabs for accents. Ivy has a collector's personality and has accumulated an array of interesting, unusual stones and it may be the pattern or shape of the stone that triggers the design. Sometimes it is the gourd itself that speaks to her. As you can see from Ivy's work, her style lends itself to a clean, uncluttered design. She believes her style has evolved into a more free-flowing creative line. She is willing to take risks and tackle more difficult and time-consuming designs. In addition to gourd art Ivy's is well-known for her basket designs. She states that pine needle basketry was actually an extension of working with gourd rims. She prefers to use the Southern long leaf pine needles which are about 12 inches long. She loves the feel of them and appreciates the wonder and flexibility of the wood-like needles.  Ivy has done some teaching but it is not really her thing. She exhibits at 4 - 5 juried summer art shows in Colorado and Utah and in the winter spends her time building inventory. She is eager to continue exploring the possibilities with gourds and has many ideas she wants to implement. Chucking she explains that with every gourd she thinks...'next time I'll try (fill in the blank...)' In addition to creating art, Ivy became an American Gourd Society Certified Judge and hopes to do some judging in the near future. On a personal note Ivy and her husband divide their time between summers in the mountains and winters in Arizona. She adds that her husband is her biggest supporter/promoter/helper in all of her gourd endeavors. Ivy enjoys traveling, hiking, photography, golfing and spending time with family and friends. She has 3 children and 5 grandchildren ranging in age from 2 months to 18 years. To see more of Ivy's art click here: A venue where Ivy demos and sells her work:
Ken Carlson: The Secrets To Health and Longevity  The time is almost here when we get to enjoy the work of a long summer. Since the spring we've pulled, carried, watered, bent and dug. Finally, after weeks of devotion, we've reached the reward of the harvest. Harvest: noun, a season for gathering the crops; the product of our action. Our action...what is the product of our action? This is intriquing...you must understand that I was a math major in college and tend to think in numbers, stats and percentages. In writing for this newsletter I have concluded that due to the product of our action, the readers will live 5 - 10 years longer than the average person. They will have better health, both physically and mentally and a better quality of life. Why? Because it is the kind of newsletter that gives help, advice and encouragement to "do" something. What kind of something...pulling, hoeing, bending, walking and thinking. OK, you can see where this is going: People who have a hobby, who exercise, think and problem solve, who breath fresh air and are passionate about something live longer. (One study suggested that every smile and laugh adds 20 seconds to your life.) This is not just my opinion, it is fact. It...wait... hold that thought for a second...I can hear what sounds like a small pack of hyenas in the kitchen. Oh, no...it is my wife Paula (English major, cumma su or sumo cu... well anyway she was second in the class of 1974 at N.S.U.) and her 96 year old mother (school teacher extraordinaire for most of the years A.D.). As I listen to them I think it can only be about 3 things: 1.) They are correcting the grammatical errors in their small hometown weekly newsletter. 2.) They have found something else about the article I wrote 2 months ago - you remember - the little guys. It can't be though - that article has been scrutinized by all family members, friends and their relatives for over two months, two holiday weekends, four birthdays and five family get-togethers. 3.) They found the first draft of my article this month. I know better but I enter "the den" pretending that I need a diet coke. "Say Ken" starts the informative one, then she pauses. She always pauses until I stop and give her my full attention (teaching first grade since the first printing press has given her the patience of Job) "Do you think," she continues "that I'd live a little longer if I subscribed to that newsletter you write for?" "Why Mother," Paula jumps in before the other one starts chuckling, "I'm startled that you thought of that, but it does seem obvious." They're both laughing at me now as I grab the diet Coke and try to slink out of the kitchen. "Mother," Paula continues with tears running down her cheeks, "If you had been a faithful reader of his newsletter you would have had better health. Didn't you stay at home from school that one day when I was in high school?" "Oh yes," her mother replied, breathing into a paper bag now trying not to hyperventilate. "Otherwise I would have had perfect attendance for almost 50 years." "If you only had Kens' newsletter back then," my current wife mumbled into the dishtowel she was using to dry her tears. "And I would have been so much smarter too," the ancient one injected into the laugh-a-thon with no pause at all, a first in my 34 years as her daughter's unfortunate other. I pick up the draft off the counter and continued into my office. I considered writing about something different for this month, but decided that I would sound-proof my office instead. Might as well since I couldn't go back out there until after they were done calling all the relatives. I started rereading my article and it didn't sound as good as I had previously thought. Once again I can only hope that some of my readers got as much enjoyment out of the article as Paula and Company did! Ken PS If you want to hear about an excellent harvest, call my mom (Read about how to harvest in The Gourd Jungle in the right hand column.)
Out Of The Mailbag  Hello there, Thought I would send this photograph of me with my two granddaughters. As you can see they love gourds as much as me. They will be thrilled when the birds start nesting in the houses they painted. If I ever make it to Northern Dipper Farm I figure we can trade gourds for lobster. How's that for a deal! Dave Bradshaw - Nova Scotia
Hi Carolyn and Linda, Here are a couple of photos of myself (on the left)and my friend and gourd enthusiast Nancy Hind at the Parry Sound Summer Market. As you can see from our smiles we are having a terrific time. Thank you for introducing us to gourds; they are fantastic to work with and attract a lot of attention at a show. Michelle Ballantyne Thanks for the photos! See you soon... Carolyn and Linda  Michelle is the owner of Northern Whimsies, Home of Natural Woodcrafts. To see what Michelle and Nancy are up to click here: http://www.northernwhimsies.com/  Michelle and Nancy's Birdhouses & Feeders  Hi Northern Dipper, Thought you might get a kick out of this picture. This is part of the Laguna Laughter Yoga Club that meets at Main Beach at 8:00 am everyday except on Saturdays when we meet at 10 am. The 3 in the front are visiting from Japan (from a Laugh Club there) The one in the middle next to me is Jeffery - the leader. The rest are all friends and artists. You ought to try it sometime. It is good for you! My new friend who lives 4 doors down from me took the picture. Her name is Bonnie too - Boy are we going to have fun! Love lots, Bonnie Leigh Thanks Bonnie! (Bonnie Leigh is a fellow gourd artist and will be a featured artist in the new year.) To learn about the Laguna Laughter Yoga Club click here: To hear the Laughter Club Song click here: Looking Ahead: November 2013
Perfect pie apples from a heritage tree that is 110 years old. The neighbourhood is dotted with these trees - they are from the original farm that claimed the land in 1903. There are many different styles and techniques in gourd art and one that is a favorite among many is pyrography. Next month we are very pleased to have with us Reggie Eakins, an artist who has perfected the art of pyrography. Reggie is the owner of Southern Gourds and his work is outstanding. His images, taken from the wild west and from deep in the oceans, are alluring in their detail and story-telling. His skill in handling a wood-burning tool is apparent. We look forward to presenting Reggie Eakins, his art and his outlook on the future of gourd art. Our time with Ken Carlson is quickly coming to an end but we can expect one last essay from him much to our delight. We will also have one last report on growing in The Gourd Jungle. There are always questions that come up at the end of the season and it helps people plan for next year's crop. We are busy with the shows during November and December so for any planned trips out to Northern Dipper Farm please call first. If you happen to be at one of the Christmas shows please stop by and hello. We would love to meet you. See you soon.... Carolyn Cooper and Linda Bond PS Do you have photos, ideas or comments ? Sent them in to: info@northerndipper.com
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