|  Home  |  Officers  |   By-Laws  |  Contact Us  |  Events  |  Fun Stuff  |  Gourd Chart  |  Gourd Links  |  Gourd Safety  |

The Artistry of Diane Frederick

I am new to the world of Gourds.  I have been a pyrographer for over 25 years. My first project: burning the edges of a box for my boyfriend.  Then I realized, " Hey, I can draw with this." I am totally self-taught and use just a regular old wood burner like you can find at Michael's craft stores.  I mainly just use the basic wedge shaped tip for everything I create, portraits to jewelry.  I started with basic trees and wild life art.  I have always done horses as a subject matter, and I love to do portraits of people and/or their animals. 

 This group of gourd artists is a welcoming and inspiring gathering of creative minds.  I am happy to have found them.  I have made a gourd vase and some gourd jewelry now, and look forward to new adventures in creative gourding in 2008. 

I bought my first gourd at a wood working show in 2006.  I burned that Maranka gourd in Spring of 2007, feeling inspired by its convoluted shape, and burning images of a heron, lizard, frogs, and leaves.  I made it a gourd rattle (just the internal seeds rattling in there) with healing, as its theme.  In 2007 I shopped at the wood show (Quilceda Carvers), buying a number of gourds.  They are so beautiful and sensual.  They present me with new design challenges and ideas.

On a personal note, I married that boyfriend.  We have been together for 35 years this year, and married for 28 of them.  I enjoy camping - I like hanging out amid the trees too, like Oz we are tent campers, and travel is a passion.  I love to read.  I love learning new things.  I ride horses whenever I get the chance.  I am also a life long counselor and have been a minister in the Church of Divine Man Northwest for 20 years.  My spirituality is a part of my creative soul, as I look for the spirit residing within the people, animals, and landscapes I create.  For me, it is an important part of people portraiture, and a basis of the gem inlaid mandalas I make.

 Diane

 Email me at finefiregraphics@earthlink.net

or visit my website http://www.fredericksfinefiregraphics.net/