MARIANNE BARNES, GOURD ARTIST

 

 

Hi, I’m Marianne Barnes, also know as Maribasket. I have been working with gourds for the last 12 years. I have been a basket maker for 19 years and an art teacher in the public schools for thirty-four years. I love the combination of baskets and gourd art. Texture is the core of my art. I work with natural and textural materials such as cedar and birch bark, sea grass, mohair and knobby yarns, pods, philodendron sheath, leather, etc. I also incorporate basketry by weaving on top of the gourd with an undulating weave that resembles hills and valleys. Recently I have been adding different techniques to enhance the gourd itself such as burning, painting, and chip carving. Many times I add a dream catcher or a tapestry weave on the front of the gourd.

 

I am a member of numerous guilds and associations including Upper SC Basket makers Guild (charter member); Upstate Visual Arts Association; NC Basket Association; SC Gourd Society (charter member); NC Gourd Society, and the American Gourd Society. I am not only an elementary art teacher but I also teach basket and gourd classes at local and state workshops and conventions. I have a home studio where I teach classes too. I have been privileged to win many awards for my gourd art including “Best of Show” for a large gourd basket at Greenville’s Art in the Park at the SC Governors School for the Arts. Several years ago I started a local gourd patch here in Greenville. We meet once a month to learn how to make gourd art and to share with each other. The web site is http://www.orgsites.com/sc/palmettogourdpatch.  I was also juried into the SC Artisan Center in Walterboro, SC and the Foothills Artisan Center in Chesnee, SC. I teach gourd classes online at the Gourd College Online site at http://www.gourdcollegeonline.com. I am also a member of the online Gourd patch group and was part of the creation of that groups’ Gourd patch Quilt which has been exhibited across the country.

For information on prices, contact me http://www.maribasket@charter.net.