I am a self-taught artist, and my current focus is designing, carving and painting Calabash Gourds. In the late 1990's my husband and I moved to the island of Puerto Rico, and I began experimenting on a local, inedible, tree-born fruit, known locally as an higüera (pronounced ee-gwer-a). By not having any preconceptions of the gourd's traditional purposes, I had no limits on myself or my work. I now take these natural objects and create functional pieces which are also lovely to look at. I don't worry about whether or not my work is realistic. I love combining colors and adding details, and I keep my themes lighthearted. We arrived on our 33-foot boat, which remains my studio and our home. To say that the lifestyle and surroundings are inspiring is too simple, yet it happens to be true.

The Calabash trees of Puerto Rico bear fruit weighing as much as 15 pounds when ripe; once fully dried the outer shell is hard and dense like a hardwood, unlike its delicate, eggshell appearance. Harvesting gourds after the full moon is the first step, and then they are dried in the sun which, depending on size, can take up to 6 months. The typical way of working with these gourds is to cut them in half while green; however, for my pieces to retain their more intricate shapes over time they must be fully dried first.