Jamie Slack’s FUNky Friends Flip through
artist Jamie Slack’s photo album or journal and you’ll find an
amusing collection of her FUNky friends. Walk through her Alto,
New Mexico, studio and you’ll see drawers carefully labeled with
a dozen years’ worth of “stuff” as well as walls and shelves
which display creations from Jamie’s imagination. Each cleverly
named whimsical character or critter is fashioned from a gourd
which has a personality guaranteed to make you smile or even
laugh aloud. Talk with Jamie, and she’ll have you convinced that
each gourd named itself. Jamie Slack always wondered what she would be when she grew up. The daughter of a professional dancer, Jamie loved costumes and dressing up. Her gourd sculptures benefit from this flair for the dramatic as well as the solid construction, which was probably influenced by her architect father and her own architectural training. Still a child at heart, Jamie loves to have FUN. She creates pen and ink drawings and greeting cards and records clever words, phrases and ideas in her journal. In addition, she enjoys collecting old toys, game pieces, buttons, etc. and loves to recycle “junk” which less creative folks would likely throw away. Growing up in East Texas, Jamie developed an appreciation for the “big hair” which adorns many of her creations. She’s especially fond of using raffia, yarn, string, fur and leather in addition to feathers and horse hair, actually anything which strikes her fancy. Jamie’s passion for creating gourd art began several years ago. Captivated by the unique, organic nature of gourds, Jamie experimented with color and design on a variety of gourds. Jamie draws her inspiration from the gourds themselves. During the cleaning process, Jamie carefully examines a gourd’s markings and shape until it “speaks” to her. Sometimes the gourd turns out to be something entirely different from its beginning. Wanda Waddle, for example, did not want to be a chicken and eventually emerged as a very happy duck, evidence of Jamie’s philosophy that there are no mistakes and everything happens for a reason. Jamie describes herself as the “birth mother” who creates “art for adoption” for the person who falls in love with her whimsical gourd sculpture. Each gourd has its own unique story and reflects Jamie Slack’s enthusiasm for life. In Jamie’s words, “Gourds feed and reflect my spirit.” Your spirit, too, will be lifted by the sight of Jamie’s whimsical and FUNky friends. Jamie Slack |
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