Peruvian Gourd Carvings

Hand-Painted Gourd Birdhouse   $27.00 The natural shape and size differences of these gourd birdhouses (since a gourd is a natural, growing fruit) and the fact that they're individually hand-painted, make these creations works of art. Choose whether you'd like to see a domestic or tropical bird, and then you can indicate 2 color preferences for the background. GRD:BIRD-birdtype About 8" high, 5" diameter at the widest point. Type of Bird: Either Domestic Tropical Color Preference 1: Any Color Blue Tones Brown Tones Green Tones Pink Tones WhiteTones Color Preference 2: Any Color Blue Tones Brown Tones Green Tones Pink Tones WhiteTones

Carving Gourds and Wearing Traditional Huanca Dress at Esperanza Palomino's Workshop

Cochas Chico, a small farming community nestled In the Andean mountains of Huancayo Peru, is home to a rich tradition of gourd carving. It's also home to Esperanza and Raquel, two women who have established small fair-trade businesses to help their community.

"This craft we inherited from our ancestors, grand parents, and parents to the present. Each generation improves the art and it continues to grow with future generations."

Gourds are carved by men, women, and children aged 10 to 60. Often the only source of economic income for the artisans of Cochas Chico, carving therefore becomes the focal point for the entire family. From a very young age, children are taught by their parents to carve ancestral designs.

Raquel Rojas Carving at her Workshop

These gourds are creations of two Peruvian artisan groups: Artesanias Antu - which is the workshop of Esperanza Palomino, and Artesanias Rojas - the workshop of Raquel Sabastian Rojas.

Both groups provide work for many men, women, and children, and work is shared so as to give priority to the families with the greatest needs, especially for clothes and food.

Esperanza is a good artisan and she likes to excel in her art. She always carves the gourds wearing the colorful and traditional Huanca skirts (photo on left). The result is that it is absolutely natural to find her carving or burning the gourds surrounded by her husband, sons, brothers, nephews, and brothers-in-law.

"All that I hope and dream for the future is to spread my craft to all countries so that our work will be very recognized. My biggest dream is that all will have work and that all the families will have a better future." - Esperanza Palomino

Working in Raquel's are 15 families. In this workshop the families also are very united and everyone shares the work and income to help those who are most in need.

	Gourd Baskets     $22.00 4 - 4.5" diameter x 5" high Available with butterfly (left) or hummingbird (right) designs. GRD:BASK-BUT or HUM Design: Butterfly Hummingbird
Yes, it's a gourd and a basket. This new gourd creation from Peru joins our other decorative and practical items. Perfect as a catch-all for little things around the house or office such as keys, paperclips, earrings, loose change.

Birds of a Feather

Andean Seated Owls

Standing Bird     $7.00 5" wide x 7" high GRD:BIRD

		Gourd Cat With Tail $10.00 6 1/2" long x 2" diameter GRD:CATTAIL
(side view)	(front view)

Fish With Tail $10.00 7" long x 2" diameter GRD:FISHTAIL

Small Turtle or Dog Gourd    $6.50 3" high x 3" wide GRD:TURTLE or GRD:DOG Type of Design: Turtle Dog

Gourd Cat with Ceramic Ears and Tail $12.00 each GRD:CAT-CM A small hook is attached so you can hang a kitty up on a tree, wreath or other decoration.

Mini Gourd Panda $3.80 GRD:PANDA-MINI About 3" high x 2" diameter

Wish we had more gourd pandas? We DO! Click here to see gourd panda boxes, also from Peru.

The Process of Gourd Carving

After the gourds are harvested, the artisan removes the outer green skin with a dull knife, exposing the lighter brown color underneath. Then the gourds are cleaned and dried in the hot Peruvian sun.

The artist draws a design onto the gourd with a pencil. Then using a carving tool called a BURIL, the artisan painstakingly removes small pieces of gourd to create a three dimensional version of the original design.

The next step uses the technique of pyrography to establish the contrasts between the carved figures and the gourd. The artist uses pieces of Quinual wood that are in the shape of thick feathers for this process. The tip of the feather is heated in a fire to a glowing ember and then put to the gourd to cause a burn. The artist blows on the ember to vary the intensity of the heat; the harder the artist blows the darker the burn.

Having obtained the color, they wash the gourd to remove the pencil marks and the natural wax so that the gourd will have a better brightness. And again they return to the BURIL to add any final detail in the carving.

"If we have fun in our work, it will teach us to know more of our culture. Through the created drawings we are inspired to do many things. The tradition of gourd carving helps to shape the culture and customs of the town."

Butterfly Gourd with Black Background $30.00 5" high x 5 1/2" wide GRD:BUTFLY-BK

Gourds With Black Backgrounds Some of these Peruvian gourds have black backgrounds. After carving the design, the rough, carved surface of the gourd is dyed black by applying a mixture of oil and charcoal of ichu (charcoal made from straw gathered from the hills). The dye adheres to the incisions and any parts of the gourd where the outer skin has been removed. The dye is easily cleaned from the gourd's outer smooth surfaces, leaving a gourd with a black background.

Carved Owl Scenes on Black Background     $30.00 There are two different owl scenes on each gourd.
Owl Gourd Side 1	Owl Gourd Side 2
5" high x 5 1/2" wide       GRD:OWLS-BK

Gourds Carved In Extreme Detail

Detailed Village Scenes
The carvings on these Peruvian gourds depict different aspects of village and communal life, and are incredibly detailed.

Large Village $40.00 3 3/4" high x 4" wide GRD:DETVIL-L

Small Village $25.00 3" high x 2 3/4" wide GRD:DETVIL-S

"Because of the situation in which we live, the dreams that I have are that the families in the workshop will have work. I hope that with some help they can come out ahead. In the future we want our crafts to have more acceptance and to be more valued so that we can obtain both work and income." - Raquel Sabastian Rojas

Gourds with Detailed Rainforest Scene Carvings

The carvings on these gourds depict various rainforest animals and plants.

Close-up View of Detail!
Detailed Rainforest Scene Gourds     $27.50 3 high x 2" wide     GRD:DETRF-S

Large Rainforest Gourd $40.00 4" high x 3 1/2" wide GRD:DETRF-L

Detailed Coyote in White $29.50 4" high x 2 3/4" wide GRD:COY-WH

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Gourds As Musical Instruments

Maracas with Musical Instrument Designs - (Medium) $16.50 a Pair 7" long x 2.5" diameter GRD:MCMUS-M
Maracas with Village Scenes - (Medium) $16.50 a Pair 7" long x 2.5" diameter GRD:MCVIL-M
Medium Maracas Design: Musical Village

Maracas with Geometric Shapes - (Small) $10.00 a Pair 6 1/2" long x 2" diameter GRD:MCGEO-S

Front View: each Wiro comes with a stick

Wiro - Percussion Instrument     $25.00 There are several ways to play this beautiful handmade gourd instrument. Shake it or scrape it with the stick. It also has the properties of a rainstick. Tilt it from side to side and listen to the cascading sounds. 13" long x 5" diameter GRD:WIRO

Back View

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Gourd Mobiles and Windchimes

	Geometric Gourd Mobile with Wooden Handmade Beads - $30.00 Each mobile has 8 geometric gourd ornaments 4 ft. long x 5" diameter GRD:MOBGEO

		Butterfly Gourd Mobiles - $30.00 Your choice of Black or Brown. Each mobile has 8 butterfly ornaments. Size and Shapes vary slightly: 40" length x 4 1/2" diameter GRD:MOBBUT-color   Color Choice: Black Brown

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Please also see our new Gourd Box page.

"Gourd carving is a history of those that came before, they heralded their travels to other places through the stories depicted through their art."

"If we have fun in our work, it will teach us to know more of our culture.
Through the created drawings we are inspired to do many things.
The tradition of gourd carving helps to shape the culture and customs of the town."

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