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Gourds are members of one of the largest botanical families, the Cucurbitaceae family, which also contains all melons and squash. Although many members of the cucurbitaceae family are called gourds, especially in the fall, only three kinds dry with a hard shell - a fact which distinguishes a gourd from a squash. These hardshell gourds have been used for thousands of years by people around the world as utensils, dishes, containers, storage vessels and simple musical instruments.

Today artists have rediscovered the hardshell gourd, and are making use of the bewildering array of sizes and shapes in their artwork. Hard-shell gourds provide the perfect canvas for a number of different treatments.

Martha prefers to paint her gourds with designs inspired by traditional native animal patterns and designs, and leave much of the natural beauty of the gourd exposed.  She uses acrylic paints, and then gives the finished gourd several protective coats of varathane which also helps to bring out the natural patterns of the gourd.

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