The Gourd Vine. You heard it through. September Ventura County Gourd Artists. A chapter of the California and American Gourd Societies

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1 You heard it through The Gourd Vine Ventura County Gourd Artists (formerly the Channel Island Gourd Society) A chapter of the California and American Gourd Societies September 2016 President s Message Believe it or not, there is a hint of fall in the air. It s a time of nesting in and getting ready for great things to come. The holidays are right around the corner and while for some there is a sigh of relief that the busy times are behind us as a club, not so. Yes, the festival, Farm Day, history day, fair, Suz estate sale and the annual picnic are but memories, but yet to come are some pretty exciting times, not the least of which is the first VCGA retreat. Spurred on by the great time she had at the California Gourd Society s retreat last fall, Camille has taken the ball and run with it, with several of us on the committee hanging on to her shirttails. All I can say is that the 30 folks who signed up for this inaugural adventure are in for a surprise. Look for more details in a separate article in this newsletter. September also signals the beginning of the fall season and for VCGA members, it also means harvest festivals. This year those of you who are interested in selling gourd creations (they don t have to be just Halloween and fall themes, folks are already looking for Christmas, Hanukkah and other holiday gifts) have three opportunities to sell. *Underwood Farms in Moorpark had asked us to have a booth five weekends in October but I told them we might not be at the first weekend because that s our retreat. Those of you who aren t attending the retreat might consider that Oct. 1-2 weekend, but traditionally it s slow because it s Law Enforcement/Fire Appreciation weekend and folks are more interested in those displays than buying gourds. * McGrath s Pacific Pumpkin Patch on Olivas Park Drive in Ventura two weekends, maybe three. * Santa Paula Rotary Club Pumpkin Patch and Corn MaiZe - wants us there all five weekends (if we can) at Limoneira Ranch. Arline Erickson and Debbie Gutzmann are coordinating the harvest festival schedules this year. If you are interested in participating, then plan to attend the Sept. 21 meeting and/or contact Arline at or her cell, Because Underwood is always the most requested, be prepared to have your name entered into a lottery if there are lots of folks clamoring for the same weekend. I want to thank Camille, Frank DeSimone, Tammy and Anthony for answering my call for entries for the Orange County CGS competition and the CGS/ Calabash festival in Northern California. CGS President Olive Moore was gracious enough to pick up their entries and transport them to the respective festivals next month. All of their entries were beautiful fingers crossed they do well in the competition. The September meeting will be a busy one and I m asking for as many people to be there as possible. Our program will be presented by the Ventura County Handweavers and Spinners who will be sharing a variety of natural fibers that could be used on our gourds. Let s welcome them and show our support! The meeting is also a raffle night, so bring your gourd-related items to share. Also, if we have time, we will do a short show and tell. Looking forward to seeing you at the meeting and then the retreat. Busy times for busy people. Let s all get busy! Karen Hibdon

2 Tip of the Month This is a bit of a repeat from a previous ToM Check out The Gourd Magazine for Fall This quarterly magazine of the American Gourd Society is packed full of great stuff. Certainly worth the $15/year membership fee. This issue has several tutorials: Faux Finishing Techniques, Crafting Fall Ornamental Gourds (using soft shell gourds), Little Red Crab, Asian Suspended Urn, Using Extender Medium with alcohol ink dyes. In addition, there are photos of some pretty incredible gourds. I know I intend to try some of the techniques used by featured artists and will follow some of the tutorials. If you are a member, share your issue with non-members and if you are not a member consider joining. I just learned some sad news and want to pass this along. If you have ever taken a Bonnie Gibson course you have most probably met her husband Everett. He has been fighting cancer for many years. Unfortunately he has lost this battle. Please check out Bonnie s current newsletter for this and more news. September2016.html

3 Ventura County Gourd Artists Treasurer s Report July 2016 Balance from June. $ Receipts: Club Raffle.. $ New Member (Nolt) $ $ Disbursements: Retreat Deposits $ Monthly baskets $28.22 Check endorsement stamp. $38.00 $ Balance at end of July... $ Wednesday, September 21st RAFFLE NIGHT bring your gourd related items Ventura County Hand weavers and Spinners Refreshments: Anthony and Emily 3

4 Camille passes along this sale opportunity: Judy received an requesting a gourd artist to sell at their upcoming Boutique, here is the information: Malibu Presbyterian Church will be having a Christmas Tea on December 10, 2016 to be held at the Agoura-Calabasas Recreation Center. Approximately ladies will be attending the tea. Prior to the tea they hold a boutique for the guests (multi generational) to do a little Christmas shopping. The boutique is from 12 noon to 2 PM. Set-up beginning at 11:00. The tea starts at 2PM and the boutique is closed at that time The cost for a 6 foot table is $25 (which includes a table and table cloth) in addition, they are asking for a free-will offering to their church's mission. Charlotte sent in photos of her Ventura County Fair winning gourds. There were other patch winners also but, alas, no photos sent in for your news editor to insert into the newsletter. 4

5 Ventura County Fair - Olive Moore visited our booth (shown above with Pat), Pat s winning gourd shown above. Peggy Herman at our booth (left). 5

6 Ventura County Gourd Artist Retreat The weekend we ve all been waiting for is just about here. The first Ventura County Gourd Artists retreat is set Sept. 30-Oct. 2 at the Arnaz Girl Scout Program Center in Oak View. The retreat committee has a full weekend planned focus on fun, gourding and camaraderie. The following people are scheduled to attend the weekend: Camille King, Karen Hibdon, Eileen Logan, Frank DeSimone, Cathy Agnew, Brandy McKay, Cheryl Brion, Janie Knappenberger, Evy Eisle, Michelle Smith, Jean Ableson, Sylvia Yoosephiance, Kathleen Johnston, Pat Barbour, Elsie Cogswell, Terrye Temple, Colleen Kyffin-Lewis, Judy Ascheman, Chris Garcia, Cheryl Townsend, Sharon Sicanoff, Cathy Ewbank, Emily Houston, Peggy Herman, Shelley Johnson, Arline Erickson, Sherri Trout, Charlie Boles and Tammy Burt. Personal items to bring: medications, toiletry items (toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, soap, etc.), suntan lotion, bug spray, bath and hand towels and washcloth, hat, pillow, sleeping bag/blanket (the facility has a cot and mat only), comfortable shoes (it s very dusty at the camp so probably only closed toe shoes), outdoor camp chair for crafting, glasses/ sunglasses and a flashlight. Plan to dress in layers it will be warm during the day, but may be cool at night. Remember, we have two gentlemen on board, so appropriate sleeping attire. Gourding tools: microcarver with assorted burrs, wood burner with assorted tips, task light (if you have one), heat tool, dust mask, favorite paint brushes (we will provide basic paint brushes), eye protection, apron, awl, jewelry pliers/needle nose pliers (helpful but not required). Optional items: gourd drum or other musical instrument, donation item for the raffle table, money to buy raffle tickets (we ve already got some great items up for grabs). Please bring: smiles, a positive attitude and the determination to have a good time! Participants will receive another retreat document as it gets closer to the event, including directions on how to get to Arnaz. Stay tuned. 6

7 Bulletin Board Hold this Date - Dec 17 VCGA Holiday Party at Elsie s If you have any announcements, comments or queries that you would like to share with the rest of the patch send them to lenifield@yahoo.com for inclusion in the bulletin board. Cathy asks for donated gourds for ARC and Oceanview community programs. Bring them to our September meeting. Contact Cathy for more information (themimi@roadrunner.com or ) Future Events September 30 - October 2 - VCGA Retreat October Calabash Gourd Festival & CGS Art Competition at Uesugi Pumpkin Farm in San Martin December 7 - Oceanview Pavilion Day Care - more from Cathy as we get closer. An ARC date will also be set later. December 17 - VCGA Holiday Party See Prez message for local Harvest Festival opportunities. 7

8 Editor Leni requests articles and photos for the next newsletter be sent to her before the 5th of each month, photos should be in jpg format (Include a description). Leni is not always able to get good photos of the art our members are creating and would like to share, nor is she aware of all events so please keep those pictures coming. (Send to Leni at lenifield@yahoo.com) Ventura County Gourd Artists Elsie Cogswell, Treasurer E. Las Posas Rd Santa Rosa Valley, CA We meet on the third Wednesday of each month at 7:00 pm at the Santa Rosa Valley Community Clubhouse, E. Las Posas Road, Santa Rosa Valley (Camarillo), CA For more information contact: President: Karen Hibdon Editor: Leni Field, lenifield@yahoo.com You heard it through The Gourd Vine Ventura County Gourd Artists Monthly Meeting September 21st Ventura County Gourd Artists is dedicated to the education and instruction of those persons interested in the culture, use, history, horticulture and/or crafting of gourds.