Sharon Medhurst | Fort Qu’Appelle, SK

Sharon, a retired teacher from Regina, has always had an interest in the arts.  She majored in visual arts while in university and continued this interest over the years, enrolling in art classes and exploring many different art forms.  Metal working has been one of her favourite media and many happy hours have been spent handcrafting silver and copper jewellery.

Most recently, Sharon was introduced to gourd art while wintering in Arizona.  Gourds are relatives of pumpkins and squash that have been grown all around the world since antiquity for use as dippers, containers, musical instruments, and ornaments.  They grow in a variety of shapes and sizes and provide a great canvas for artists to create designs that are limited only to one’s imagination.  The organic quality of the gourd is appealing to Sharon who designs directly on the gourd, often incorporating the natural markings.  Sharon achieves her designs using rotary carvers, wood burners, and other power and hand tools.  She also embellishes her work with acrylics, wood stains, alcohol ink, dyes, natural stones, feathers, and more.