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Friday, September 12, 2008

Gourd Art and Whooping Cranes

My kitchen has been transformed into a studio, the table filled with unfinished gourd art and pine needles ready for coiling. Not that the kitchen ever poses as a domestic center, anyway. It more closely resembles a studio much of the time as projects come and go.
Earlier in the week, the same table was scattered with ink illustrations for an exciting children’s book project that I will return to later. But for now, it’s exhibit time, time to finish up and organize the art that will travel with me next week, to the Whooping Crane Wildlife Festival in Necedah, WI.
There I will reunite with whooping crane enthusiasts around the country and with Operation Migration’s crew and staff. If the weather cooperates, we’ll all visit the observation tower to watch this year’s juvenile whooping cranes in flight training over the Necedah NWR wetlands as they follow ultralight aircraft piloted by Operation Migration crew members.The photos above and below were taken at a flight training in September of 2007 as I stood at ground level beside the observation tower. The young trainees were hugging the ground that morning with pilot Brook Pennypacker encouraging them to a higher altitude.
It is a thrill to see these fledged juveniles and to witness an endangered species being aided by these innovative efforts.

Detail of unfinished pine needle coil on a hard shell gourd basket.

Below, woodburned sandhill crane art on small hardshell gourds, ready to be coiled.
Detail of art on the bottom of a piece with date and signature.

4 comments:

  1. Those gourds are GORGEOUS! Wish I was going where they're going!

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  2. Thank you! I wish you were too! Its always such a pleasure to connect with other people who love birds the way I do.

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  3. Vickie--

    Thanks for visiting, and for your lovely comments over at jeffreyagordon.com.

    Naturally, I took a quick trip over here and I'm glad I did. You've got a really nice place here, full of beauty.

    I was particularly taken with these gourd baskets--they really are gorgeous.

    Hope our paths cross one of these days!

    Good birding,

    Jeff

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  4. Hi Jeff. Thanks for visiting and for your kind comments. I enjoy making the gourd baskets. Its another way that nature nurtures me.

    I'm looking forward to your next post on Chincoteague and added your blog to my favorites.

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