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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: When introducing this month's featured artist it would be safe to say that Dawn Vavra plays by a different drum. A self-taught artist Dawn spent years working with glass and had a glass studio on Gabriola Island off the West Coast. She then discovered gourds and has not looked back. Her style is unique and possesses a simplicity that will keep the viewer wanting more. Please welcome Dawn Vavra, an artist that is both versatile and inspirational. Below: A wood- burning by Dawn Vavra  We all love to set a mood in our homes and this month's tutorial will fill the bill. This month we have an easy to follow tutorial on how to make a beautiful beaded gourd lamp. Just fair warning; they are addictive and when your friends and family see your finished lantern, you are going to be very busy filling their requests. We are also offering workshops, beaded lamps included, so be sure to check out our schedule for dates. For details click here: http://www.northerndipper.com/workshops.php Below: Beaded Gourd Lamp  We have lots of mail and trivia including a few gourd sightings in a good music video. So pull up a chair and get ready...you are entering the wonderful world of Gourd Fever.
Dawn Vavra: In The Chaos Solutions Will Be Found!  Dawn Vavra is a West Coast gal who spent her first 30 years in Victoria. The next 30 were spent up island in Nanaimo. Currently she lives in Saskatchewan with her husband, daughter, two horses and a dog. For those of you unfamiliar with the province of Saskatchewan it is located on the prairie landscape, a place with a big sky which holds extraordinary beauty and where, according to Saskatchewan standards, your yard can consist of 14 acres and be considered small! Stepping back it was the years on the coast that influenced the artist Dawn is today. She remembers as a young student wood-burning First Nations masks and years later, when she discovered gourds, she quickly realized that gourds and the wood of the masks were very similar. She concluded that gourds would be a perfect fit for what she had been looking for. Art has always played a big part in Dawn's life. As a child she was a daydreamer and using pens, crayons and pastels to record everything around her. In high school she had an art teacher who introduced her to many mediums including copper, fabric, yarn, wood and glass.  Before gourds glass was the medium Dawn loved to work with. For nine years she worked with leaded and copper glass using her own patterns. Windows were her speciality and the sequencing of each step left her with a feeling of accomplishment and pride. Dawn has worked in glass carving (sand blasting) and slumping glass too. Mosaics followed and for several years she enjoyed making large framed murals and table tops using tiny tesserae glass tiles. She has experimented with dying her own fabrics and has quilted wall hangings which was a disaster. Working on a loom weaving large wall hangings was fun too and turned out not too bad. She has worked with primary school children illustrating "big books" and charts for various projects. She still works with the wee ones but when at home her primary focus is gourds.  When asked about her individual style Dawn states that she believes her style, if she has one, changes with the medium. She elaborates by saying that her style has evolved as she has played and experimented with different techniques over the years. Her husband has been incredible through this journey of self expression and has encouraged her as she immerses herself in a myriad of ideas. At times Dawn gets frustrated and at other times, experiences moments of pure joy. The process is both creative and productive and Dawn has learned that in the chaos you will find solutions. Dawn believes that art is about emotion and whether we are creating it or experiencing it, art allows us to feel all the emotions we hold inside. It can portray good and evil, joy and sadness. It makes us laugh and cry and most importantly think. A community without art would become old and dried up...a husk of what it could and should be.  When not working with gourds Dawn is a volunteer teacher's aid two days a week in her daughter's all day kindergarten class. She also illustrates posters and books for the school. At home she lives with her husband who is a builder of fine furniture, beautiful door harps and large indoor water features. Dawn schmoozes with her daughter's prized Friesian and Gypsy Vanner horses on a daily basis and when her very spoiled and well-loved Doberman doesn't demand attention, she will squeeze in a few hours to work on her gourd art. Life is good to Dawn out there on the Saskatchewan prairie and we cannot wait to see what her creative juices will bring forward in the future.
Tutorial: Setting The Mood With A Beaded Gourd Lamp Since we've picked up these beautiful (hole-less) Turkish beads I have been addicted to making these amazing gourd lamps. The designs and colour combinations are endless and a simple project can lead to hours of playful fun.  Method: 1.) Make a hole at the bottom of the gourd; large enough for you to clean the gourd. 2.) Make a hole at the back of the gourd where you will be connecting your snap-on light. I use a 1" hole cutter for a quick, clean cut but you can use your gourd saw as well. 3.) Using a pencil, sketch out your design making swirls and curls. Once you are happy with it, start drilling your holes for the beads. Keep in mind as to where you want the 6 mm and the 8 mm holes to sit as you will be using 2 different drill bits for each size. 4.) Once you have all the holes drilled erase your pencil marks; colour and seal the gourd. Once this is done you will be ready to insert the beads. 5.) If the holes have been drilled properly the beads will fit in snugly without glue. If you have beads that seem loose just dab some white glue into the hole. 6.) Once all the beads are in place, take a small drill bit and drill lots of tiny holes around the beads. This will allow clear light to shine around the coloured lights from the beads. For this tutorial, the top and bottom beads are 8 mm blue. The swirls are 6 mm green and light blue beads. To view these hole-lessTurkish beads click here: For dried gourds click here: Out Of The Mailbag  Hi Carolyn and Linda, I can't remember as to who I was talking to but here are 3 of the gourds, from my 1st order, that I painted. This is my first time painting gourds, they may not be perfect but given my age (80), I think they turned out pretty well. Barbara  Hi Barbara, These birdhouses are beautiful. Thank you for sending these photos in. With spring quickly approaching we are sure they will inspire many people to get out their paint brushes or wood burners and get a few houses ready for the birds that will be returning for the summer. Carolyn  Hi Carolyn and Linda, Just a quick email to thank you for the wonderful workshop you put on April 23. The theme was Beaded Light and I cannot tell you how thrilled I am when I turn my lamp on every night after the sun goes down. I had great fun - you were so warm and friendly and it was nice to sit around a table with so many like-minded people. I will definitely be attending more workshops in the future. Before I sign off I would like to thank you for the informative newsletter you send out. I have read it for years and I love the featured artists and everything else you present. There is something in there for everyone. See you again soon. MJ Gourd Sighting
In researching our Music Pick of the Month we came across this video with a couple of cool woman who form the group Rising Appalachia. The song is Medicine and throughout there are several gourd sightings. To view click here: "Other Stuff" - The Scoop On Organic Toothpaste and Other Tooth Products  We are quickly becoming more conscious about not only what we put in our bodies but also what we put on our bodies. We are careful to buy soaps, shampoos, household cleaners and detergents that are non-toxic and good for the environment. But what about toothpaste and mouthwash? Have you thought about this? When we clean our teeth the products we use are absorbed through our tongues, teeth, gums and cheeks. Organic tooth products have natural flavouring and herbal extracts without the chemicals found in brand names such as sodium lauryl sulfate, a synthetic detergent compound which promotes foaming. Organic tooth products are more expensive than "regular" toothpaste but it does come on sale quite often. To save money you can make your own basic toothpaste easily enough. Mix 2/3 cup baking soda, 1 tsp of fine sea salt, 1 - 2 tsp peppermint extract or 10-15 drops of peppermint essential oil and enough filtered water to make a paste. Store in a small, glass jar. For other toothpaste recipes click here: http://askthedentist.com/homemade-toothpaste/ Looking Ahead: July 2016  We are currently travelling the world (via the Internet) communicating with some amazing artists. Every artist we have featured to date brings their own individuality and style and whether it is someone working at their kitchen table after the kids have gone to bed, or someone whose art commands thousands of $, it is an honour to know these creative and special people. We are going to surprise you in the July issue of Gourd Fever so stay tuned. The last few weeks have been rough here in Ontario with the tail end of winter making a few last swipes at the can. But now the tulips are coming up and the planted gourd seeds are sitting in a sunny window. They are coming up at a rapid rate and at May end they will be planted out to start their short journey of flowering and developing gourds. By July there will be lots of gourds and you will be busy pruning and tying up. Send in questions about growing and we will be happy to answer them. Don't forget to check out our workshop schedule...believe me, there is something for everyone! Take advantage of the Group Workshop Special as you will save money and just have a blast with your friends at Northern Dipper Farm. See you there. Until next time relish the warm breezes of summer and most importantly take a few minutes every day to relax! Life can be so fantastic...let's enjoy it! Carolyn Cooper and Linda Bond
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