Selena Carino-Navarrete

I have been in love with art all of my life. I have drawn, painted, sculpted, photograhed many times. I would often lose my interest or inspiration quickly. Nothing has ever captured my creativity like the gourd. I have always been a lover of folk art. True folk art. Beauty made by the hand using organic materials. I consider my work folk art. I have no formal training and an endless list of gourd creations floating in my head. After choosing my gourds based on an idea or seeing a gourd that inspires an idea, I clean, cut, and carve my gourds. I often use paper mache which I sculpt and sand to enhance my piece. Each piece is finished by hand using acrylics. There is no perfect symmetry with gourds so each piece is truly one of a kind.