Marilyn Royal shared art and explained her artistic process during the clubs regular meeting. Marilyn has been an artist for over 20 years, achieving awards for a number of her works.
She told the club about two types of art she has experience with: glass work and decorating gourds.
Marilyn has etched glass for both practical and artistic applications. She said she doesn’t do as much of this type of work any longer because it is very difficult to handle heavy pieces of glass.
Some of her last projects required assistance as well as special holding devices used to perform the work.
The art she displayed for the club was work she had done transforming gourds. Her work begins with gourds that have been dried properly.
She purchases the gourds she uses because the drying process can take a year or more and must be done properly to get good results.
Most of the gourds she works with are grown in other areas of the country as many of the gourds grown in our area have very thin sidewalls making them difficult to work with.
Marilyn has been a member of the Ohio Gourd Society for a number of years and attends an annual event at the Ohio State Fairgrounds.
Many localities also hold smaller events as well. Gourd art has very few boundaries, their use is only limited to the imagination of the individual artist.
Marilyn brought examples of masks, display containers, musical instruments, tools used for watering plants; and can be set on a flat surface oh hung for display.
Most of the works were dyed, but a few still retained their natural colors. Carving and wood burning tools are also used to produce some of her works.
Marilyn has done classes to assist those who would like to learn to try this type of art creation. Pictured with Marilyn is Stryker Rotarian Fred Grieser.