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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!
 Slot Canyon by Phyllis Sickles
In This Issue: Some people love art as an interest or hobby. Others are born with the creativity and drive to make it a life-time pursuit in one way or another. This month's guest is one of those people. Phyllis Sickles was born with a passion for art and eventually taught art in the school system for 32 years. Now retired she has turned her interest to gourds and the art she is producing is being exhibited in galleries and art shows in the U.S. Finely detailed, Phyllis's art is a reflection of her personality. Please welcome Phyllis Sickles in this July issue of Gourd Fever. The gourd growers are busy at this time of year with pollination, pruning and watching their gourds grow at a rapid rate. It is also the season of the cucumber beetle in the garden. In The Gourd Gardener we will be talking about this little pest, pollination and pepos. Lots of mail and other great things. Check out the music pick this month - it will bring a tear to your eye. Plus gourd sightings from Cozumel, Mexico too. First up however, our guest of honour, Phyllis Sickles.  Each butterfly is carved from a gourd. Tuscon is a beautiful town filled with lots of little shops and venues. One day while exploring, Phyllis came across some beautiful gourds with a Southwestern design. She was not familiar with Southwestern patterns but sensed that gourds were a perfect medium to utilize all the skills she had gathered thoughout her lifetime. At the time Phyllis knew nothing about gourds or where to get them but they intrigued her. She purchased Jim Widess' first book Gourd Crafting and then proceeded to travel to Ohio where she bought gourds. Next she sought out some gourd clubs, did research on the Internet and much to her surprise found a gourd supplier (Wuertz Farm) just up the road from her. She was set and has not worked with anything other than gourds since.  The need to express realism in such detail can be both good and bad depending on the moment. As you can imagine it can sometimes prove to be challenging for Phyllis but in the end the work is superior. Phyllis states that she has tried to loosen up but it is just not her...it is not how she views her subject matter or art. When discussing style, Phyllis claims that hers has not changed much over the years but it has, at the same time, vastly improved. When people see her work they know it is hers without looking at the name tag. Phyllis has a large following and her lovely images and clean, professional look are, as it turns out, her trademarks. Her subject matter is normally taken from nature. This great love has grown stronger since childhood and Phyllis never tires of it. She struggles with added embellishments and patterns that require precise measurements, (Symmetrical design patterns) Since they are not fun Phyllis concentrates on the type of work she enjoys doing and is good at.  After teaching art for 32 years Phyllis has had her fill. Often her studio is filled with gourders and Phyllis will gladly share her techniques with others but she is not interested in having formal classes. She has exhibited in many galleries and is actually looking for a new gallery right now. She does the Wuertz Festival every year where she loves to meet up with old and new friends from across the U.S. When creating Phyllis does not focus on what is happening in the world but rather on the beauty of nature. In her mind her artwork is more of an escape from the unsettled world she sees daily in the news. It is her constant hope that the joy she feels in her art will be reflected in the faces of those who see it. With an increase in art shows, art fairs and galleries it is an opportunity for both herself and other artists to project their own agenda in their work. Phyllis's life is consumed by gourds but in her downtime she can be found working in her garden. She spends time watching the birds, walking with her dog buddies in the morning and having play days with her gourding buddies. Every day is a delight for Phyllis Sickles and we are so happy that gourd art is apart of it.
Out of The Mailbag  Hi Carolyn, I am Amanda McNab and we talked about 1 hour ago. I have attached the 3 pictures as promised. Each of these gourds took about 1 year to do. I spent a lot of time just thinking about what I wanted to do. The first two won the "Off The Wall" art section at the Erin Fall Fair last year and the year before. The final gourd is one which I may enter this year. I hope I can come and take a course this year. All the things that can be done with gourds - What fun! Thanks for sending the seeds. Amanda   Thank you Amanda. These are beautiful gourds and I can understand why the top 2 are chosen winners. The 3rd is too; it's just undeclared at the moment. Carolyn Gourd Sighting  Gourds were seen at a replica Mayan village. Hello everyone, It was a brutal winter here in Ontario so we, along with my daughter and her friend, took off to Cozumel, Mexico for 1 week. It was glorious! Here are a few gourd sightings we saw while touring. Carolyn    All of these were seen in a small gift shop. Looking Ahead: September 2014  Best Friends Working Together We first met Bill Colligen a couple of years ago when he was a featured artist. Bill's art was impressive; meticulously detailed and not easy to forget. Since that time Bill has been busy and it will be such a pleasure to re-connect with him and get caught up in the September issue of Gourd Fever. In the garden the gourds will be large and heavy. Harvest is around the corner (after the first hard frost) and that is what we will be talking about in The Gourd Garden. Before we close here is a little treat for the readers who are flower-lovers. That photo on the right is a Himalayan Blue Poppy. My friend started 6 plants last year from seed and planted them out in her garden. They didn't do well and that was that or so she thought at the time. This year one came up! It is a magical plant...the blue is the purest blue I have ever seen in nature. Thought you might enjoy it, I know I did. So that's it for this July issue. Make sure to fit in some vacation time this summer and we'll see you again in September. Carolyn Cooper and Linda Bond
PS Ideas, photos or stories you would like to share? Send them to info@northerndipper.com
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