The Luthy Botanical Garden “Artists of the Month” for March 2010 will be Karen Simmons and Nancy Aupperle, who both specialize in gourd art. Their work will be displayed and can be purchased in the Garden Gift Shop.

Karen Simmons – As a result of her love of gardening, Karen began experimenting with growing gourds about five years ago and discovered how well they grow in this area. She started creating birdhouses and was invited to join the Illinois Gourd Society. She then attended the Illinois State Gourd Convention, where she took a class in chip carving on gourds. “My gardening experiment led to a love of gourd art,” Karen said. She continues to experiment and learn new techniques — which now include the use of wood burning tools and mini jigsaws — in order to turn the gourds from her garden into works of art.

Nancy Aupperle – Nancy Aupperle’s venture into gourd art also began as an agricultural experiment. When her first harvest of gourds numbered over 100, she became interested in finding new uses and began turning them into birdhouses and feeders. Since then, she joined the Illinois Gourd Association and has learned many new techniques for beautifying gourds and creating new art pieces. She finds the process exciting and challenging. “Gourd art requires many steps, but the finished product is always rewarding,” says Nancy.