Janis Kobe studied Illustration and Design, but was eventually drawn to the gourd as her
medium. The Lagenaria variety of gourd has a hard shell similar to wood. Gourds come in
many shapes which she orders from several California farms.

She uses a Detail Master technical wood-burning tool to draw on the skin of the gourd.
The cut work is done with a mini jig saw. Cutting is time consuming as all the edges must
be sanded to get a smooth surface before adding the color.

Janis paints and seals the inside of the gourd with acrylics. The exterior is finished with
different transparent, colorfast inks and stains.

Her designs depict nature, wildlife, the burning of the rainforests and a variety of spirit
figures. She creates “story gourds” with different themes, eg: The life of Frida Kahlo,
Sacagawea’s journey and the White Buffalo.

She also creates a series of basket gourds embellished with pine needles and other natural
materials, and calla lily gourds that involve intricate cut work.

Janis feels gourds are gifts from our Mother the Earth and are a pleasure to work with.