Kristen Treuting is looking at gourds organically. Each gourd has an unique shape that speaks of nature. What defines her pieces are the design cuts. This important negative space must speak with the flow of the gourd. Let’s see how she finds it.
Kristen Treuting lives and works in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Kristen, like many of us, works in her garage and shares a studio in town with her photographer husband. She also likes to sell at art fairs and local art shows.
Trained as an art educator she inherently understands how a design should work with organic material. I think this knowledge is key to her enchanting pieces. We have much to learn from her work.
The design cut must enhance the pleasure of looking at gourds organically
Her approach to a gourd is not as a canvas that can be decorated in any fashion that fits her mood. She sees the gourd as an organic shape that speaks of nature. What defines her pieces for me is this viewpoint.
I believe determining the design cut is a skill we can learn from her work. She just does not cut the top off, decide on a theme, and then design the layout of the gourd.
She shares
“I have always been drawn to the natural world for inspiration. I find the sense of ‘flow’ in the shapes and forms of the gourds themselves, as each gourd seems to communicate to me as to what it will become.”
Just how can that work for the rest of us?
Looking at gourds organically is about understanding the flow of the gourd
This sense of flow can be felt as you close your eyes and focus on how your hand moves over the gourd or sometimes you can try to envision water flowing over the gourd. Or think about how a plant would embrace it.
You can sit quietly and let the gourd speak to you as Kristen does. Sometimes it is good to just sketch lines on the gourd, take a picture of it, erase the line and draw another to see what works and what doesn’t. Finally, choose the image where the line that looks best and draw it on the gourd.
Now, just let the gourd sit on the work desk and look at it for a while. You want a line that looks like it has always been there!
Lets’s try looking at a gourd organically together to see how they work with the design
In gourd 1 and 2 we see that the cut becomes the focal point as soon as she put the embellishment in the negative area.
With gourd 3 and 4, the cut at the rim reflects the cut in the main image. This forces the eye to move from the top of the gourd to the bottom. It doesn’t stay on one spot on the gourd.
Notice that all the tops are cut differently and the width of the “water flow” cut is not the same. Another idea we can take away is the color of the interior of the gourd. She doe not paint it black every time.
Now look at gourd 4 and 5, each has the same shaped embellishment but applies it differently on each gourd.
And lastly, notice that only one of the cuts goes directly down the center. Which gourd has the most interesting cut line to you and why?
Another design principle seen here is the importance of repeating patterns and shapes.
The cut on the rims reflect the shapes use in the focal point and these are repeated. That repetition moves the viewer’s eye around the entire gourd. Don’t you just want to pick it up and turn it?
If you are at a loss for an idea, pick up the unusual shaped or cracked gourd in the corner and think organically. All the ideas I have described here clearly and creatively executed by Kristen, you could do on a gourd.
You might try to make a “water flow cut”. Then add your ideas of how your gourd speaks to you organically. Take another look at Kristen’s work on her website and give her gourds a chance to speak to you.
In the store, you will find a handout of 27 different cuts you can consider when you start your next gourd project. You will find these colored images an easy reference when you start your next gourd.
27 Ways to Make a Design Cut
What ideas have you seen here do you think you might try?
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I cannot find the handout in the store of the 27 different cuts. Where can I find that?
You can download the handout at https://gourdarttalk.com/product/27-ways-to-make-a-design-cut/
Hi Barb, Look again. You got ahead of me! Read this week’s post for more information. The handout fits both posts.
https://gourdarttalk.com/product/27-ways-to-make-a-design-cut/
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