Meet Gourd Art Master, Kristy Dial

A gourd art teacher, promoter of the art form, and addicted to the Southwest Style

Kristy Dial’s southwest style is simple and powerful, and her teaching style makes learning her techniques easy and fun. Students learn the basics, plus enjoy learning how she embellishes her gourds with different multimedia techniques.

Kristy is a well-known gourd artist in the Western States. She has taught at many gourd festivals sharing her southwest style and multimedia techniques. Fortunately for us, Kristy has been instrumental in advancing the art of judging gourd art and promoting the organization of gourd artists. Areas I have also been working within. I have enjoyed working with her on executive boards at the Wuertz Festival and teaching next to her at festivals, watching her teach. Kristy has been willing to give her time and expertise to make our art form more professional and respected. It has been a privileged to work with her over the years and I look forward to sharing her amazing talent with you.

Kristy’s gourd adventure started when she took a gourd class at a local community college. Before she knew it, everyone in her family and all her friends’ received gifts of gourds. Her house slowly began filling up, and finally, her husband asked, “Honey, what are you going to do with all these gourds?” And with that, she began exhibiting at craft shows, and Gecko Gourds was born.

Kristy’s Southwest Theme

When we look at her work, we see a strong southwest style. Her exposure to this art came from her father, a graphic artist. As she grew up in Tucson, Arizona, Kristy and her family loved to explore the southwest, visiting ancient Native American dwellings and petroglyph (rock art) sites. Eventually, these memories captured her creative dreams. But then she moved to Coronado, then California and never returned to the desert.

When she married and her family grew, they began taking family vacations to the southwest, where she again felt the lure of the desert and the Native American culture.

Now seeing the environment with an artist’s eyes, she became fascinated by how simple, yet powerful, the petroglyphs were in speaking about the ancient ways.

At last, everything began to fall into place – gourds and petroglyphs, petroglyphs and gourds…a terrific match.

Kristy Finds Her Gourd Style

She likes to work on her own and avoids taking classes.

I like “playing in the studio.
From the beginning, I have believed the gourd should be honored. Just holding a gourd and feeling its smooth texture is very calming.

There is something peaceful yet powerful about the everlasting nature of the gourd. It is truly a gift from nature.”

I am one of those brave or foolish souls (depending on how you look at it).

In short, I will look at something and go for it. And I do!

“Gourds – You love ’em or leave ’em. Just about everyone I have met who has dabbled in the gourd world just “loves ’em.” It is the one, if not the only, art form that is “addicting.” My “addiction” has become a full-time addiction.

Look at this short video of her talking about her interest in gourds.

Kristy Creates Gourds That Help Her Teach

Kristy always takes pleasure in creating something original out of her experimentations. If a technique has inspired or intrigued her, she will figure out how to do it. Sometimes she will get it right. Sometimes, not.

Then these experiments turn into a gourd technique she can teach in a class. I think one of her greatest strengths as an artist is her ability to “teach” new artists in a calming way.

She is patient, goes slowly, and always has a good handout with directions. More specifically, she encourages each student to continue on and make their mistakes part of the gourd. They go home ready and eager to finish their project.

Regardless of our level, gourd artists are looking for easy and fun techniques. Kristy’s project gourds use simple icons and easy gourd techniques. Then she will add a medium to the surface.

Take a Closer Look at her Project Gourds

For example, Rock Art Impressions represents a project for beginners. The carving and woodburning parts are easy, and the texture of a clay medium with rub-on paint adds interest.

Desert Montage is an easy mixed-media project where the student chooses a gourd to decorate. Then Kristy shows them different ways to emboss copper tooling sheets with petroglyphs, patina, and rub-ons.

Sometimes Kristy’s Themes Evolve into another

The Horse of a Different Color is a beautiful carving project for all levels! This project was one I watched while teaching my project. She creates the horse from metal and paper pieces. The pot beneath the horse is half of a small gourd. Actually, the most exciting part was sewing on the genuine horsehair around the rim!

Surprisingly, this theme became so popular she changed the design to create a similar project. Here she showcases the technique of tangling on the horse and woodburning a black background.

Everyone wants to learn how Kristy does her horses, so be aware that you will see many look-a-likes. But give her classes a try if the opportunity arises!

Finally, This project gourd is one of my favorites. I think the idea is clever and can challenge the student to think of other ways to use the cut-out. Kristy explains this project in this way, “Create a beautiful maiden getting ready to put her newly crafted pot into the oven for firing. You will be wood burning, cutting open the “oven” and possibly carving. Then add cloth for her apron, design a small pot for attaching to the gourd, and make a small bowl out of clay. Learn the easy technique of weaving pine needles on the rim. There are a lot of fun processes in making this gourd!”Now you sign up!

Kristy’s petroglyph pieces are also simple yet powerful

The gourd’s natural color and smooth surface allow you to quickly enhanced it with dyes and wood burning to add the impression of a rock drawing. Her simple lines are easy to wood burn, and just a few embellishments can add exciting contrast. Take a look at some of these gallery gourds.

These two gourds show her imagination at work, expanding her style differently. With the popularity of Steampunk art, she adapts it to a southwest gourd theme. And the simple embossing of small strips of copper makes this design appealing and successful for a beginner.

Kristy Helps to Expand the Gourd Art World in Nevada

In 2016, she gathered the gourd artists in Nevada and helped them form the Nevada Gourd Society. She then started a patch in her hometown of Minden, Nevada. Soon she had talked the group into hosting an Art Festival with gourd classes on the park lawn.

In fact, now they have one of the best Art Festivals in northern Nevada. The exhibit building showcases all the fine arts created by artist, many from Nevada. That successful event was instrumental in her winning the 2019 Carson City Mayor’s Arts Awards—Community Impact Award.

All the gourd classes are held outside on the park lawn. I had great fun there teaching my gourd jewelry class.

“When people look at my art, I don’t want them to guess if it is a gourd. I prefer to hear, ‘Oh, it’s a gourd!’
“I want the gourd to shine. I just add a little art to draw their attention to it, but then the gourd takes over and does all the talking.”

Professionally, Kristy has participated in art shows for the past 27 years. Her award-winning gourds are in juried art shows and galleries throughout the western United States.

Kristy’s gourd art has been in the NAA Gallery in Carson City and the Prism Gallery in Gardnerville and Moab, UT.

Visit her website, Gourd Art, by Kristy Dial, to see more of her work. You can also follow her on Facebook.

If you have taken one of Kristy’s classes, what kind of learning experience did you have? Do you have a favorite project of hers that you can share?

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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