ARTS & CULTURE
CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE LEFT: Wamble uses a variety of patterns on her gourds, including faces, spools of thread and animals. Teresa Wambe displays the gourd art she’s created in her garage in her Shelby County home. To create her designs, Wamble traces a pattern on the gourd and then uses a woodburner and colorful dyes.
Artistic license
Story and photographs by Laura Brookhart
T
he monkey gourd, the gator gourd, the swan or goose gourd, the egg gourd, the dipper gourd. Carefully caged for protection from mice and squirrels in Teresa Wamble’s garage are the basic
10 | ShelbyLiving.com
forms for her creative journey with gourds, which she began 12 years ago. “Did you know there are over 1,000 kinds of gourds?” she asked. “I’m quite selective about those I choose to embellish.