ABSOLUTELY GOURD-GEOUS : PALMDALE PAIR GETS CREATIVE COUPLE TURNS APPRECIATION OF CULTURE INTO WORKS OF ART.Byline: Bhavna Mistry Daily News Staff Writer It started as a cheap way of decorating their new Palmdale home. Now Judith and Robert Bennett Robert Bennett or Bob Bennett is the name of:
The retired Palmdale couple, who once worked at the General Motors plant in Van Nuys, turn gourds into works of art. ``We're not sure how we started,'' said Judith Bennett, showing her large display of gourd art Gourd art involves creating works of art by painting on dried gourd shells based on the principles of pointillism. During the process, gourd surfaces may be carved, sanded, burned, dyed, and polished. and undecorated gourds. ``I can't even remember my first one. People just started buying them. They thought it was wonderful and it just went from there. We just went crazy.'' Although the Bennetts had been making arts and crafts arts and crafts, term for that general field of applied design in which hand fabrication is dominant. The term was coined in England in the late 19th cent. as a label for the then-current movement directed toward the revivifying of the decorative arts. , and had attended craft shows since 1990, it wasn't until 1993, when they retired - at age 47 with the GM plant's closure - that they discovered gourd art. ``We were on vacation and we saw them in a gift shop,'' said Judith Bennett. ``But we didn't know what they were.'' ``Initially we thought it was pottery,'' said Robert Bennett. ``But they were so beautiful. We were drawn to them. There's something about them.'' Gourds grow on vines and look similar to squash. When ripe, they turn a greenish color similar to honey dew melons and begin to dry, forming a hollow inside and extra hard shell. Once the gourd gourd (gôrd, g  rd), common name for some members of the Cucurbitaceae, a family of plants whose range includes all tropical and subtropical areas and extends into the temperate zones. has dried, it will begin to turn black and moldy moldyanimal feed overgrown with fungus; the feed may be harvested and stored or be still in the ground. moldy corn disease see leukoencephalomalacia, fusariummoniliforme. on the outside. Before it can be decorated it must be cleaned thoroughly. ``It takes a long time to clean these,'' said Robert Bennett. ``It could take up to two hours to clean.'' After cleaning the shell, the Bennetts clear out the insides before beginning to paint, using a mixture of leather dyes and acrylic paints. Then, they finish each piece by covering the entire design with clear enamel. While gourds can be turned into almost anything, the Bennetts mostly make pots, Indian masks, tortilla warmers, bowls, spoons, jewelry fruit and dolls. One recent creation by Judith Bennett was an Indian doll carrying a baby. Calling the piece ``Mother and Child,'' Judith Bennett painted the gourd brown with black markings for hair and eyes. Wrapped in a Pendleton wool blanket, and wearing a rabbit-fur headpiece head·piece n. 1. A protective covering for the head. 2. A set of headphones; a headset. 3. See headstall. 4. An ornamental design, especially at the top of a page. 5. and earring earring, a personal adornment, sometimes an amulet, worn attached to the ear lobe. Since prehistoric times the ear has been pierced for the insertion of the earring; certain primitive tribes distort the lobe with plugs several inches in diameter or with heavy stones. made of pheasant feathers, tin cones and deer skin, the mother held a baby wrapped in deer skin. On her back the mother carried salt cedar sticks, wrapped in deer skin with a duck feather. Judith Bennett is expecting to sell the piece for $60. ``This makes very good business,'' said Judith Bennett. ```It's excellent.'' Similar to the doll, the Bennetts use a lot of Southwestern and American Indian American Indian or Native American or Amerindian or indigenous American Any member of the various aboriginal peoples of the Western Hemisphere, with the exception of the Eskimos (Inuit) and the Aleuts. designs in their artwork. They also make traditional items that resemble artifacts artifacts see specimen artifacts. of early American settlers. The couple's love for of the American Indian theme is apparent at their home in east Palmdale. Ceramic Indian masks, dream catchers, animal skulls and medicine wheels adorn their walls. Medicine sticks, gourds and kachina kachina (kəchē`nə), spirit of the invisible life forces of the Pueblo of North America. The kachinas, or kachinam, are impersonated by elaborately costumed masked male members of the tribes who visit Pueblo villages the first half of the dolls decorate their rooms and Southwestern-style furniture fills out the rest. From Jan. 25 to March 9, some of the Bennett's artwork will be on display during the 12th Annual Juried All Media Art Exhibition at the Lancaster Art Museum and Art Gallery, 44801 Sierra Highway. CAPTION(S): 4 Photos Photo: (1--ran in AV and SAC--color in AV) Robert and Judith Bennett display a variety of finished gourds at their Palmdale home. (2--ran in AV and SAC--color in AV) Judith Bennett hopes to sell her latest creation, ``Mother and Child'' for $60. (3--ran in AV only--color) Judith Bennett uses a magnifying glass to finish details on a vase. The couple will display their work at an arts show at the Lancaster Art Museum from Jan. 25 to March 9. (4--ran in AV only) Robert and Judith Bennett turn gourds into pots, masks, bowls and dolls at their home studio. Jeff Goldwater/Daily News |
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