Louise McGowan Bezark
Louise McGowan Bezark knew that it was an immediate connection to her future path as she was visually captured by her first calabash. The stunningly memorable introduction to earthy Lagenaria siceraria, otherwise known as a “gourd,” evolved into nearly two decades of artistry.
“Creating with gourds offers such a diverse range of artistic processes. I can use all or just a fraction of various sizes and shapes of raw gourds in unlimited ways. Their rich organic nature ensures that I am never bored. Working with gourds to create fine art brings me so much joy and always delivers me smack into my creative center.”
Most of Louise’s design work begins with what each raw gourd reveals of itself. While she can guide with her accomplished technical skills to further along the process, the gourd ultimately leads the way.
She uses her love of alchemy to “paint” her gourds with fire. Pyro engraving is the most enjoyable step of all of her design work. Louise is uniquely skilled at carving and finishing, and combines positive and negative space with unusual results. It is that fine balance of professional precision and “un-gourd” like vision that is the hallmark of her work.
Louise’s creations are often described by her collectors as radiating “an energy of love, compassion, awareness and light.” Close friends and collectors alike attest to Louise McGowan Bezark truly finding her “soul’s purpose” through her art. Her love affair with the earthy gourd is alive and growing.