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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!
In This Issue: Many of us have been in the position that David Sisk found himself in a few years ago. At home we produce some pretty fine art but at the same time we have secure jobs that pay the bills. The question is: Would you give up that pay cheque up for your art? David Sisk played with this question for a long time and one day he bit the bullet, handed in his resignation and became a full-time artist. His sense of design quickly put him on the map and soon his masks found their way into collections throughout North America and Europe. They have been exhibited in many high-end galleries and at art shows. David's story is as fascinating as his art. Please welcome David Sisk to this January issue of Gourd Fever. We get lots of interesting mail and many times throughout the year we get asked questions about doing shows. In light of this we are doing a series of three articles covering things such as how to find a show, booth design and price points to what promotional material to use. It will be fun and may be food for thought for those of you who have thought about it but not acted on it. It wouldn't be Gourd Fever without our trivia section. We think the Music Pick of the Month is good as is our Gourd Sighting sent in all the way from Thailand. Now it is time to meet David Sisk.
David Sisk -"Being In The Moment"  David Sisk's introduction to gourds was a serendipitous one. About 10 years ago a friend of his made a comment about how people use to make vessels out of gourds. Aside from David hardly caring at all, his friend kept at him "I've got a wood burner and shoe polish - come over and make a bowl." He finally gave in but having no background in art David had no idea on what to do with the thin brittle gourds. As fate may have it he ended up cracking his. Embarrassed and rather than ask for another gourd, David got the idea of cutting the gourd in half and making a mask. After a few more masks over the course of a couple of months, David finally asked himself the magic question, "Would he consider selling one?"  David had always been an observer of art but not an active participant; as a matter of fact the thought never crossed his mind. As a teenager, he figured he'd either be a professional football player or a rock star. Simple as that. In college, while studying music performance and education (the education- his parent's idea) David payed his way by working nights at a hospital in the neonatal ICU pushing papers. It was a great job because it gave him a chance to do homework and play his guitar. And then a marvelous thing happened. The pediatric cardiologists would come in at night and play with a new modality with ultrasound called a color Doppler. The sound's of the machine as well as the colors struck a chord with him. David started standing over their shoulder asking questions, and with the beauty of youth and being naive, he started convincing them that they should teach him. After months of this, the head cardiologist basically told him that if "he'd shut up, they'd teach him." For the next 15 years David became a pediatric echocardiographer and thought it was the best gig ever. That is until his friend Eric brought up the gourd question. David states. "Now fortunately, I didn't grow up wealthy, and I knew what it was like to have nothing. The natural question to me was, what if the gourd thing worked? That question was always in the back of my mind since I started to make masks. Finally, I knew it would drive me crazy if I didn't try so I put in my letter of resignation later that year and became a full-time artist."  David's sense of design and style quickly set him apart from other artists. His style is constantly changing and evolving even though this gradual change is not a conscious effort on David's part. Better tools have had an impact along with experience but there are times when David feels a little stagnant. When mistakes happen he turns them around and makes them work. He will actually recreate those errors on purpose on his next mask...those mistakes are his biggest source of "the next thing." As an artist, David feels that the artist has a responsibility to provide an escape from all the turmoil and craziness we're exposed to. In addition to aesthetic beauty, he feels it is also the role of the artist to challenge the accepted definition of what is and isn't art. He believes that the artist must rise above those expectations to create what's in his or her heart and put it out there. As you can imagine this is not always easy. At the shows, while setting up his booth, the fear is always "Will the public like them? Will they laugh? Or worse...Will they ignore them?" David is not certain whether this initial insecurity ever goes away, but the acceptance he's received has given him the freedom to try different things rather than only make what sells and has a track record of popularity. In David's mind, to become a mass producer of the same mask over and over sounds like a dreadful job!  While David is the first to give credit to those that teach but the idea of teaching someone to find their own voice in art isn't something that sits well with him. David did not take any classes, and while his learning curve would have been much faster, he relishes the failures, the challenges and the steps it has taken him to find his own voice with the masks. Technically, he says, there are better crafters than himself and that's OK. But for better or worst, he concludes, "my masks are...Me." While David never became the rock star he thought he would be, music has been an essential part of his life. He plays in a band and is currently starting an acoustic duo with a dear friend. It will keep David in his element of creating and being in the moment. Being in the moment is crucial for David Sisk as it always reminds him that life is good.  It's Show Time! - "How to Find A Show"  We quite often get mail from individuals with questions about selling their art at trade shows. Normally we just respond privately but we thought it might be helpful to others who have these questions who do not write us. We'll cover various aspects of "showtime" such as how to find a good show, booth set-up and display and setting your pricing. We'll also let you in on a few of our experiences-both good and bad that you may find entertaining if nothing else. Here is the first installment of It's Show Time! - "How To Find A Show" Hi Northern Dipper, I have been reading your newsletter for a long time and see that you do a lot of shows. I have been doing gourds for a few years now and friends are starting to tell me that I should be selling my work. I am a little hesitant - mainly because I am shy and I don't really know the first thing about doing a show. Can you offer me any words of advice? Joanna Burkson - Georgia Hi Joanna, Firstly I want you to know that almost everyone is hesitant when it comes to doing shows and selling their work. Questions that haunt them are "What if no one likes it and it doesn't sell?" There are lots of questions that flow through a person's mind but in the end "showtime" usually proves to be a rewarding experience. The first thing to do is research what shows there are in your area. What types of shows you would like to do? Would you fit into a spring garden show? Are there summer festivals or Saturday morning markets in your area? Gourd art always does well at the fall and winter (Christmas) shows. Do you have your eye on the art shows? You can do initial research on the internet to learn what is out there. Find the venues you would be interested in and walk them. Talk to the vendors as they are a wealth of information. They know the circuit and what shows are good and bad. You will find that some shows are juried. This is where a selection committee looks at your work (usually through photographs) and then accepts you. A non-juried show is first come-first serve. Juried shows usually attract customers with a higher disposable income but the non-juried show has lots of customers who love to spend. This is where a good $20.00 item can be your saving grace. Non-juried shows are known for allowing imported goods. Good luck, we are certain you will be successful. Just remember Theodore Roosevelt's quote, "Believe you can and you're half way there." Now if that's not the truth! Carolyn and Linda "Other Stuff"  There is nothing nicer than sitting down to a bowl of fresh berries or "peas in the pod" but when it comes to fruits and vegetables sometimes fresh is not nearly as good as frozen. As reported by the SFGate.com, by the time these products travel from the farm to the store and then the fridge and table, many of the nutrients have disappeared. The researchers compared the vitamin and mineral content of fresh and frozen strawberries, blueberries, corn, peas, green beans, broccoli and spinach in three southern U.S. states. In most cases it was found that the frozen were just as nutritious as the freshly-picked produce. As a matter of fact, in each state, the frozen peas had more vitamin C, A and folate than the fresh ones. (Taken from The Globe and Mail, December 2013)
Looking Ahead: March 2014
We are thrilled to have with us artist Kristen Treuting. Kristen's gourd art is the study of movement. Flowing, sensuous lines transport you to a brook bubbling over pebbles or some other magical place in nature. Kristen is absolutely delightful; a perfect guest who loves life and the opportunities and challenges it poises. In "It's Showtime" we'll talk about signing up, booth location, set-up and design. Shows can be very exciting and a little over-whelming when first venturing out. It is our hope that we can smooth the path for you which will make it much easier. Stay warm everyone, January will soon be over. Spend some time pouring over the seed catalogs that are coming through the mail slot and get back to that gourd piece that needs finishing. See you in March....Carolyn Cooper and Linda Bond
PS Stories, photos or ideas... send them our way at: info@northerndipper.com
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