Gourd carving in China offers three video views of gourd carving using a needle tool. We also explore how the art form is taught.
Gourds are found worldwide, and each culture has its own tools and processes for creating gourd art. China, with its large area and population, produces gourd art for billions of people living in different cultural and environmental conditions. In this post, I offer three video views of gourd carving in China and the challenges they face in keeping this art form alive.
Lanzhou’s Carved Gourd
This region is famous for its intricate carvings. Artists use small needles to create their design, then apply paint that resists fading, allowing the gourd to last for generations.
Chinese Micro Carving
In this technique they use a small needle tool. Masters use a needle of less than 2 centimeters to draw Chinese characters on even the most miniature gourds.
Tilted Chinese Gourd Carving
This method is used on uneven surfaces, such as a wart-covered gourd. This style requires significant planning and time to succeed.
Dongchang Gourd Carving
Northern China is known as the “home of gourd art.” Next, we look at a Gourd carving craftsmen who work from her family’s home apartment on a desk off the kitchen. Yang Yongmei is creating beautiful pieces of art.
At 16, she learns her skills from her grandfather and is the fifth generation to create gourd art.
A Look Behind the Chinese Art of Gourd Carving
Next, we look at how these skilled craftsmen in NW China’s Shaanxi turn traditional artifacts into contemporary masterpieces.
Practiced for thousands of years, these styles are disappearing as young people are unwilling to take up the craft. However, the group that created this video is spreading the word and encouraging young artists to explore gourd art.
Gourd carving has been a treasured art form for generations.. They now make $314,000 a year selling their gourds, bringing many of the artists out of poverty.
I find it interesting that there are significant differences between the United States, China, and other parts of the world in the types of tools used in gourd art and in the lack of safety precautions. Using a mask and new tools is not often emphasized here. What stands out is that the design choices are always made on the cultural and environmental context of the area where the artist resides.
Have you ever watched how a gourd artist uses these needle carvers? What kind of environment were they working in?
Please, share your thoughts here in the comment box or share them with all the gourd artists on our Facebook Group Page.
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