Pat Boyd excels in her creation of gourd figures. The gourd shape speaks to her creativity and odd shapes become beautify art. Let’s find out how!
While on a trip to Africa, Pat saw how the people lived in joy without the materialness of American society. She noticed that they used every bit of anything they had. Nothing goes to waste. The people just used and reused everything. For Patricia, this translated to her using the parts of gourds that other gourd artists throw away. Her unique body shapes speak to this perspective. She listened to their stories, and when she returned home, she began to look at gourds differently and her gourd figures have been speaking to us ever since.
I want my work to tell a story and speak to your heart. . . Listen as she explains the importance of a narrative when creating gourd art.
She has two creative ways to create the head. The first is to use an egg gourd and paper clay. Watch as we see her talent at sculpture reveal itself.
She also just turns a gourd upside down and creates a unique head.
“I see gourds like individual fingerprints. As earth’s original vessels, each grows in its unique form.
“I see a potential in almost every gourd because it is so much you can do as you allow your imagination to be free.”
One of the things I admire most about Pat’s gourd figures is her unique way of looking at a raw gourd and seeing what the rest of us do not see. She knows she can sculpt a head and arms for the body, so what position can the body be in? When she looks at a gourd she is looking for a unique body position.
Try to put yourself at the beginning of her process. Can you see the original shape of the gourd when you look at the gourd figures?
The finished look of her gourd figures overtakes the gourd shape she started with!
These two pieces are favorites because she has pushed her imagination. To look at a gourd and see a man crawling is pretty awesome. It is a small gourd with one end being a hand and the other the head. It is the weight of the necklace and head that balances the gourd and allows the gourd to sit flat on the surface.
This curved gourd ends in an arm made from some kind of jaw bone. Also notices that the head is connected a few inches from the end of the gourd.
She also likes putting gourds inside of gourds.
This gourd is turn upside down with the head coming from the bottom of the gourd. The children’s heads are then suspended in the cut-out center.
This odd shape gourd is a wall hanging with gourd heads placed in the cut-out center.
The African culture stays strong in her gourd figure work
Making gourds into dolls and gourd figures is a popular form for gourd art, From spirit dolls to storytellers to character figures. Although Pat started with the African culture, she has moved on to other cultures as she teaches her techniques to others. She also has embraced the painting part of her figures as we see in her most current work where African prints dominate the form.
But for me, her biggest inspiration is to take another look at the gourd form with more creativity and not to discard that odd shade gourd in the bottom of the sale basket.
I found her web site very interesting. Check it out!
Have you taken an ugly gourd and turned it into something beautiful?
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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Ms Boyd’s work is just phenomenal. As a novice gourd artist, I look at a lot of gourds for techniques, ideas and pure enjoyment, but never have I seen such creative, exquisite work. Her artist’s vision and soul reach out to me and I’m sure to many others.
Thank you for introducing this marvelous artist to me
I am trying to learn more about Patricia Boyd and she seems to have disappeared during the Great Recession.
How can I contact her or learn more about her? Her work on Pinterest suggests she sold her domain?
Thank you,
Chris Martin
Thanks for the great comments and please come back to read others. Find them all listed on the blog page under the post archive button!
You are correct. I have not heard from her since last year. I think she was having some health issues and stopped doing gourd shows. I no longer have her contact info. But I still hope she hasn’t given up her work.
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Thanks for the great comments and please come back to read others. Find them all listed on the blog page under the post archive button!
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