Rutabulo Vessel with Dried Flower Pod

I went to the Florida Gourd Society’s annual show this past February. There I came across a vendor with long handle dipper gourds. I had only seen pictures of them in books prior to this show. I was intrigued with them and decided to purchase a few. This vessel is created from one of them. Colored dyes and overlays of transparent iridescent paint sticks provide a colorful background for patterns of wood burned lines A patterned area of weaving surrounds the lower part of the gourd. A rectangle of filigree is a focal point on the front with another area of filigree below the weaving the runs around the entire circumference of the gourd. The vessel is finished with embellishments of dried botanicals, gourd seeds, feathers, waxed linen thread, and beading.