Note: If using Outlook click the above bar where it says “Click to download photos”  This issue has many photos so it may take a couple of extra minutes to download. 

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 Gourd Lamp by Turkish artist Nurettin Taskata

The illumination from Nurettin's lamps light up a room 

with a magical glow .

 

In This Issue: This month we are thrilled to present Turkish artist Nurettin Taskaya. Seven years ago, a gardener gave Nurettin a bag of gourds with which he created a few lamps for his terrace. That got the ball rolling, and now Nurettin's gourd lamps are showing up throughout Turkey and in other countries around the world!

 

“The Name Of The Game Is Profit” Part 2 is about the practical side of trade shows. Booth display, set-up and security tips will be discussed. We will use photos from the Ohio Gourd Festival to demonstrate how vendors set up their goods depending on the venue.

 

 

This stunning beaded gourd portraying dancing girls won a ribbon at the Ohio Gourd Festival. 

 

Carolyn and Linda are still bubbling over when talking about the Ohio Gourd Festival. They felt very welcomed and were very impressed with the event itself. There was lots to do and in this November issue of Gourd Fever, Carolyn would like to share some of the photos she took, both of the outstanding gourd art and the friends she met. 

 

(Dear Carolyn and our very popular Readers Corner will be left on the back burner this month but they will be back next month in their full glory!)  

 

The Three Amigos!  

Carolyn, Jenny & Linda share some laughs & gourding tips.

 

   Ohio had some very cool music at the gourd festival. The young boy is from Afghanistan and is a musical progidy.

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Featured Artist:

 Nurettin Taskaya

An artist known as the “Light Painter”

 

 

  This is an impressive lamp set with coloured glass beads. The illumination is beautiful as you can see from the  patterns on the wall.

 

My wife Nese and I have always been interested in handmade crafts. In our childhood we made witch figures from pumpkins to scare the other children so it only seems reasonable that we would, at some point, discover gourds! We have always been close to nature and have, in the past, collected plants and materials to make ornaments with. We would give them to our friends and relatives as gifts.

 

On the left is the lamp at night. On the right is the same lamp during the day.

 

In Turkey, many women paint gourds but they do not make the lamps. There are a few gourd lamp workers in the world and I can say that I am an artist who is known as the “light painter”.

 

I have always had the ability to draw since childhood, and I like to work with tools such as adzes, saws and drills. I use to paint with gouache and make postcards to send to my friends. I had several other artistic interests as well. In short, I have always been addicted to handcrafts.

 

 

One day, when Nese and I came back from our summerhouse, the gardener gave us some gourds. My wife wanted me to cut the gourds, which I did, and she drew some figures on them. She proceeded to drill in holes and place colourful glass beads in the holes. She lit a candle and it was a really beautiful  light.

 

My mind flooded with ideas. I replaced the candles with lamp parts and hung the gourd lamps up on our terrace. The people who saw them really liked them and we began to look for more gourds to experiment with.

 

Nurettin rents a large greenhouse and greenery for growing his gourds. In this photo is one trellissed area. You can see the multitude of gourds hanging from the trellis.

 

I rented a greenhouse with trellising to grow gourds. To create the lamps the gourds must have well-shaped necks. I also grow gourds around my house for testing and am conducting some trials on how to get more gourds from each plant. Besides this I have given some peasants some seeds to grow in their fields. But to date they are not well shaped or effective so I cannot use them.

 

 

 

Turkey lives in all climates at the same time. It is a half island and is surrounded by the sea on three sides. Within a couple of hour’s distance you can swim in warm waters or reach the mountains that are covered with snow. Our city, Mersin, is on the Mediterranean Sea coast. Mersin is lukewarm in winters and hot in summers. It has the perfect climate for growing gourds.

 

 

 

After our initial experiments with lamp making we started to make our own designs and gave some to local shops to sell where they were well received. As the demand increased, we became very happy and had more passion but found we had to work in more of a production, professional manner to keep up. We love to deal with the gourds and have now been working with them for seven years. All of the gourds on my website are manufactured by me apart from a couple which were created by my wife. We can produce approximately 100-150 gourd lamps in a month.

 

 

Because our lamps are both ornamental and functional, sales rates have increased. The power of the Internet is also great. We sell most of our art to a wholesaler where they are sold in the touristy places. Tourists are interested in our products very much. We also sell into some foreign countries. We never have the products in stock and most of our clients place orders and have to wait for the producing.

We have no time to participate any shows. Time is so valuable for us because all time is passing for production. I have been asked to go to Europe to teach some courses but for now I cannot accept. Maybe in a couple of years I will open some courses for the foreigners.

 

To learn more about Nurettin's unique gourd lamps click here.

 http://www.sukabagi.com/

 

To learn more about Turkey click here.

http://www.tourismturkey.org/

 

  Thank you very much Nurettin to both you and your wife  for sharing your art with us. Your lamps are absolutely gorgeous with their soft light and wonderful wall patterns. If you do, in the future, have classes for foreigners please let us know and we will help pass the word. Merci.

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 The Name of the Game is Profit...

Part 2 - "Choosing A Booth Location and Set-Up"

by Pamela  Grossi

 

 At the Ohio Gourd Festival the outdoor vendors had a huge area in which to spread out. Here a smart vendor made it very easy for the customers to pick and choose.

 

Choosing A Booth

You have done your research, applied for a show and have received the paperwork. Spend some time going over the floor plan. Try to figure out how the traffic is going to move.

 

Booth location can make or break a vendor. Don’t choose a booth beside the bathrooms or in out of the way aisles where nobody goes. Booths looking into the food courts are not great either. Be cautious if the organizers offer you booth space at a discount. They either can’t fill the show or the space is poor. Once decided send in a cheque and that will be one big thing off your list.

 

 

 

If you have a move-in time don't be late as during set-up every moment counts. To avoid additional stress go in with a plan and keep your eyes on the details. Take a dolly, as some shows do not supply them, and a lunch and water. Some people even take their tea kettle as nothing is nicer than a hot cup of tea about mid afternoon.

Draperies that are used on the tables must be fireproofed in order to comply with the fire codes of the Fire Marshall. An easy way to fire proof fabric is to soak your draperies in a half tub of hot water in which you have dissolved 1 box of 20 Mule Team Borax. ( 20 Mule Team Borax can be found in the laundry detergent aisle at your local supermarket.) Let the fabric soak and then let it drip dry. Iron to make them crisp and clean looking. NOTE: This works with cotton...I do not know how it works with other types of fabrics.

Security

 

It’s Showtime!

Wear comfortable clothes and good shoes as bad backs and aching legs are common due to the cement floors found in most trade show halls. Plan to arrive early, as there is always fine-tuning to be done with product placement. Don’t forget your float, water, food and cough drops or mints. You will be doing a lot of talking throughout the day and you want to make sure that your throat is well lubricated. When dealing with the customers don't sit, watch your body language and always maintain good eye contact. Go in there with the attitude that you are going to sell lots of product, create lasting relation- ships with your customers and most importantly, have fun!

PS If by chance you don’t have a good show don’t be discouraged. There are many different shows and it could be that this one just wasn’t a good venue for you. Take the opportunity to collect information from other vendors about the show circuit and move on.

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A Good Place To Stay At The Ohio Gourd Festival!

We were so fortunate to discover Vicky Root’s B&B while attending the Ohio Gourd Fest. Named the Wayman’s Corner, it is a wonderful old house with cosy rooms,

private bathrooms and breakfast which includes

homemade peach French toast, waffles & fresh fruit. Vicky is lovely and really goes out of her way to make her guests feel welcome. Thank you Vicky, you were  the icing on an already scrumptious cake!

To learn more about Vicky and Wayman’s Corner click here.  http://www.waymanscorner.com/

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The Gourd Master - Sam X

 

   There were many interesting artists at the Ohio show and Sam White, known as The Gourd Master - Sam X, was one of them. An extremely talented artist, Sam X works in gourds and wood plus he teaches and lectures. We are delighted to be featuring Sam X in the New Year so stay posted. In the interim please check out his website at: http://www.thegourdmastersamx.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1   

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A Northern Dipper workshop in action

 

 This happy group displays the gourds they created at the Northern Dipper workshop "Finishing Touches"

 

NEXT ISSUE:  It has been our experience that most people are fascinated with masks whether made from wood, clay or gourd. Our guest next month is Hal Sager, a master mask maker, who travels around the globe collecting materials and meeting with Aboriginal groups to learn the meanings behind these cultural objects. Hal’s gourd masks are absolutely extraordinary and are found in international art collections, museums and in people’s homes. Join us in the December issue of Gourd Fever to get a glimpse into Hal’s remarkable art and very interesting life. 

 

We will have a report on The Canadian Gourd Society’s Gourd Fest with lots of photos and comments. We are excited because in the competition is the art of Babur, a Turkish artist who does gourd sculpture which is reminiscent of Picasso’s work. There is also a raffle of a beautiful vase full of gourd flowers that Canadian and US artists have donated. For $2.00 (I believe), this work of art could be yours. To learn more about Babur and his art click here. Once in click on Issue 14.

 http://www.northerndipper.com/news_archives.php

 

Our mail bag for our Dear Carolyn and Readers Corner will be popping at the seams as we missed this month but please continue to send in your letters and comments – lets burst that bag! We did receive one letter last month about harvesting gourds in hot climates. We think we know the answer but if any of our readers down south would like to write and clarify it we would appreciate it. 

 

Christmas will be right around the corner and we would like to invite you to send in pictures of homes decorated with gourds, gift ideas made of gourds, anything to do with Christmas and gourds. Our readers love to know what others are up to so don’t be shy! (We just love mail as I am sure you can tell.)

                                      See you at Gourd Fest....

 Carolyn Cooper and Linda Bond

© Northern Dipper 2007

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Back issues of our newsletter Gourd Fever are available at http://www.northerndipper.com/news_archives.php