AUTY MORRISSEY, gourds

Member: Southern Highland Craft Guild

Auty Morrissey has lived in Rutherfordton for 15 years and has enjoyed various forms of creative expression throughout his life. However, his recent adventure into decorative gourd art has become the most fascinating and fulfilling avenue for sharing his artistic nature. His lifelong experience with wood, carving, construction and craftsmanship has melded to offer him a rech outlet for his many skills and talents. Gourds offer infinite variety and opportunities since they allow application of many different types of media and the use of a wide range of embellishments such as beads, feathers, and natural materials including leaves, pine needles, raffia and other natural fibers. They are appealing because they are three dimensional and both visually and tactilely stimulating. The possibilities are endless and there is always something new to discover...a new material to try, a new technique to apply, a new skill to be mastered.