From the Farmers Market: Turning Gourds into Art

When people arrive at the , not far inside the gates they stumble across Gourdology and hundreds of dried, hollowed gourds, varnished and painted.

But when they talk to Gourdology artists and owners Ron and Deb Stallings, they learn that gourd culture is far from hollow.

“It’s fun to be (in) the gourd community,” Deb Stallings said. “There’s a whole world out there, and you never knew.”

Before they started Gourdology, the husband and wife from Imlay City were vendors at various farmers markets for 24 years, making and selling scarecrows and wooden yard decorations. The couple began working with gourds six years ago after they saw gourd art at an antique show in Texas.

From that moment on, the Stallings began buying gourd seeds, borrowing instructional books from the library and checking out online tutorials — everything they needed to begin growing, drying and creating gourd art of their own.

“I get inspired by looking at what other people have done and what has been done historically,” Deb Stallings said. “I couldn’t live long enough to get all the ideas out of my head. It’s not a quick and easy process, but I enjoy working with my husband.”

The Stallings’ passion for gourds goes beyond a booth at a Farmers Market, though. The couple will host the Michigan Festival of Gourds from Aug. 26-28 at the Eastern Michigan Fairgrounds in Imlay City.

“There’s just as much fun growing as crafting,” she said. “My big love is running the festival. It’s unbelievable to see other technology and art.”

A gourd’s journey to the market

The process of creating gourd art for the farmers market takes four to eight months. Hard-shell grouds grow on a vine, like a pumpkin. After they’re dried, their skin is as hard as wood.

After the winter drying process, during which moisture slowly evaporates out of the gourds, mold is removed with a power washer. The Stallings work from there — Ron cutting and cleaning the dried gourds, while Deb paints and glazes them — until the gourds are ready for farmers markets throughout the region.

After years of working with gourds, Ron said assessing a gourd by touch is like second nature.

“I can just pick one up and, by the feel of it, see how thick it is,” Ron said. “After you handle about 10,000 of these things and cut them open, you can tell. When I first started out, I didn’t.

"If I can tell they’re kind of thin, I hold my power washer farther away and put less pressure on it," he said. "If I can tell it is thick, I put it real close, and it gets mold off fast.”

Whether a gourd is turned into a decoration, bowl or basket depends on the thickness of its skin. Gourds with the thickest skin are elaborately carved or used for bowls. Thinner-skinned gourds are stained and painted as decorative objects. Deb uses stains, water colors, polyurethane and varnish to finish them.

“When I look at the shape (of a gourd), I can see a wave pattern there,” Deb said. “It speaks to the artist in you. I look for the shape that’s pleasing.”

The farmers market experience

It takes the Stallings about one hour to drive 50 miles from Imlay City to the Birmingham Farmers Market. They arrive at 7 a.m. and spend the next 30 minutes setting up their booths and tables.

“When I set up, I put the colors that will take a lot of sun before they fade in the sunny area (of the booth),” Ron said. “The colors that will fade faster, like purple, I put in the shade.

"I do a lot of shows where it’s very windy, and sometimes I will have 10 to 20 gourds fall off the table on a windy day," he said. "One out of 25, if it hits just right, will crack.”

Overall, though, the Stallings said the farmers market experience is one they wouldn’t give up for anything.

“I like farmers markets more than craft shows,” Deb said. “You get to know your customers. We’ve shared dinners, watched kids grow up. See the same folks every week, and you’re surrounded by flowers and good food.”