About the Birdhouse Gourd print
Each year, Hudson Valley Seed Company commissions contemporary artists from around the United States to tell the story of a particular seed variety. That art and those seeds combine to create an Art Pack, a unique celebration of the diverse stories of seeds and their stewards. In May of 2021, I was commissioned to create the art for their BirdHouse Gourd seed.
Growing up around family gardens in rural Kansas has gifted me many fond memories of my great grandpa digging onions for supper, growing tomatoes with my parents and pickling produce with my mom, grandma and great grandma. When I was 30, I finally got a garden of my own and a flood of cherished memories came back as soon as I picked my first tomato. Hudson Valley Seed Co. is a small, farm-based seed company and I am very happy to have worked with them to add something special to the already priceless value of seeds. The Birdhouse Gourd was the perfect fit for me and making this print was both a challenge and a joy (sort of like gardening). I hope you love it.
Birdhouse Gourd Art Pack seeds and original lino-cut prints in a limited edition are available now from HVSC. Support an indie artist and an indie seed company with your purchase. Check out the other 2022 Art Packs and their artists here. Thanks and keep growing!
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"Birdhouse Gourd" was created from four separate hand-cut linoleum blocks (with stenciling) from my original design.
Print size is approximately 12" x 12" on a 15" x 15" acid free, 100% cotton paper. Printed with lightfast, archival quality inks.
key block
printing
details
Birdhouse Gourd, Lagenaria siceraria, from Hudson Valley Seed Company:
"Make your own birdhouse with this gorgeous gourd!
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Grow your own tools. Some of the earliest domesticated plants were grown for tool use, just like these bottle gourds. While young gourds can be eaten fresh like summer squash, mature fruit that has completely dried on the vine has a hard shell. These sturdy forms have not only served as storage and dining vessels throughout history, they've also been blank canvases for artists who carve, paint, and embellish them. More recently, people have found that these gourds work beautifully as bird houses—especially for purple martins."
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I grew some birdhouse gourds on my compost pile this summer ... check em out!
