03 BB#2012 "African Fern" Gourd

"African Fern" Gourd 03 BB#2012 $120 8"w x 6 1/2" h by Barbara Bellchambers A number of years ago this gourd was started in a class. The carving was very intense, and it took a long time to finish all the carving both inside and out. The teacher had prepainted the inside black, and had expected us to highlight the raised edges of the fern leaves black also. I never did like the black inside, and so, like many other gourds, it made its way onto my UFO shelf to wait for a couple of years. This gourd called to me early in the pandemic, whereupon I sanded the inside down to the gourd shell, (no more black for this gourd,) finished the carving, sanded the whole gourd, and painted it ivory. I touched up the raised edges of all the fern leaves with greens and gold to give a soft edge, making the bowl very delicate.