Kathryn Bixby Santa gourds

Kathryn has been involved with the arts since her childhood years. She paints, draws, does all kinds of craftwork, and most recently found a new and exciting love, the art of gourd figurines. Gourds comes in all shapes and sizes and no two are alike. They provide an endless supply of ideas and inspirations, enough so that Kathryn says she will never run out of the motivation to create. Each is an individual, one of a kind, unique creation. She starts with a dried gourd and with polymer clay creates the faces, hands, feet, clothing, accessories, and whatever else she sees as something that will enhance the figure. Occasionally she will add a special item or two that was not her own creation but suits the occasion. Once the figure is baked and hardened she paints, antiques, and varnishes, layer upon layer until the figure has taken on a life of its own. She laughs that she usually has an idea what she wants to do but by the time a figure is finished it may not look anything like it started out to be….she just knows that when she is satisfied with the look then the Santa figurine is finished! Kathryn lives in Colorado with her husband and their two dogs and has reached the age of retirement. But retirement means she now has the time for her favorite creative projects,…the art of gourd figurines!