The Fine Art of the Humble Gourd

For close to 40 years, New Mexico artist Robert Rivera has been taking the humble gourd and transforming it into an object of beauty and symbolism. This metamorphosis into fine art has attracted the attention of collectors throughout the country. Rivera likes to call this phenomenon "gourd-itis" since it's almost impossible to stay satisfied with just one of his unique, sought-after fine art gourds.

Although not the first to transform gourds into functional objects, Rivera was one of the first artists to use gourds as a fine art medium. And his discovery of this medium was a bit serendipitous.

Rivera and his wife grew up in Southern California. Shortly after marrying, they moved to New Mexico. On a road trip back to California in the late 70s, they drove by a farm and something in the fields caught his eye. The conversation went something like this ...

"What in the world is that?"

"What are those?"

"Let's go take a look!"

Pulling over he asked the woman at the ranch house the same questions. Her reply? "Gourds." Having never seen anything like them before, he asked if he could have some. Loading their VW to the brim with wet, smelly gourds, his imagination began to buzz. After returning to New Mexico, he started experimenting. His first creation was a toucan, which someone at his workplace wanted to buy. It was then that he knew he was onto something. Armed with limitless ideas and drawing inspiration from his surroundings, he got to work testing the possibilities. In time, he decided to leave his government job at Los Alamos with only one paycheck to spare and set out to make his mark as an artist. 

Rivera continues experimenting with designs, textures, colors, cultural references, and more. Relishing the challenge of seeing what he can create, he's started making some of his gourds more contemporary. Often working on four to five pieces at once, Rivera has what he refers to as "detail-itis" and finds that once he's transformed a gourd and embellished it, he needs to stop touching it to keep himself from making continual changes. While out picking gourds (over a thousand at a time on some excursions!) he can immediately envision the piece he's going to make with each one. Upon returning home and unpacking them, he recognizes them again and begins the process of unveiling that hidden figure, bowl, or mask. At other times, he may keep a particular gourd for years before deciding on its final transformation. He doesn't make any preliminary sketches, but rather "gets to it," finding a therapeutic rhythm in his creative process.

Over the years, Rivera has repeatedly seen how people connect to his artwork in unexpected ways. A piece that one person passes over is the same piece that speaks to someone else. Not wanting to influence those individualized connections with his work, he prefers to let each piece communicate for itself, allowing us to create a story uniquely our own.

Some of the new collections he's developing include large contemporary gourd masks with movable designs; gourd totem panels; oversized wall drums with elk and deer hide fringe; large tribally influenced ollas; gourd storytellers and quail families with 15-20 children and chicks; a gourd series honoring the Ant People of Hopi legend, and more.

What exactly is a gourd? They belong to the same family as pumpkins and squash. The big difference is that they are hard-shelled and non-edible. They can be colorful or subtle, warty or smooth, bottle-shaped, snake-shaped, large or small. Among the oldest cultivated plants, gourds were used in ancient Egypt to hold water and by indigenous peoples in North America as utensils, storage containers, and dippers. You may have seen them turned into a birdhouse. But you haven't seen what a gourd can transcend to until you've seen how Rivera transforms a gourd.

There are three main types of gourds. Curcurbitas are an ornamental gourd in a variety of shapes that produce bright-colored mature fruits. Lagenaria are large, utilitarian gourds. Their resulting fruit is light green and turns brown or tan as it dries. Luffas are a sponge gourd. They are brown at maturity. The outer shell is removed to expose a tough, fibrous interior often used as a sponge or luffa. When harvested while quite small they are called Chinese okra and are edible.

When gourds are ready to be harvested the stems dry out and turn brown. They are tough and must be harvested with pruning shears, leaving a couple of inches of stem to help them last longer. They must be handled carefully to avoid bruising, scratching, or puncturing the fruits. It takes three to four weeks to cure a gourd depending on its size. Once they are completely dry, the gourd becomes very lightweight and ready for transformation.

The steps involved in bringing an idea to completion are many; a single gourd may be stitched, etched, cut, broken, scorched, sandblasted, dyed, and wrapped. Among the elements Rivera uses to ardon them are yucca fiber, suede, buckskin, raffia, African beads, shells, heishi from the Santo Domingo Pueblo, inlaid turquoise, willow sticks, horsehair, turkey feathers, cloth, snakeskin, and Tablita headdresses. He has created bowls and rattles, medicine men chanters, Navajo warriors and singers, Hopi butterfly maidens, Navajo drummers, turtle storytellers, and masks of every size and description. These days, Rivera gets the majority of his gourds from Wuertz Farm in Arizona. But he's always on the lookout for natural items to embellish a piece.

During Santa Fe’s 2024 Traditional Spanish Market, Sorrel Sky Gallery will feature the fine art gourds, masks, and sculptures of Robert Rivera. The weekend starts with an artist reception on July 27, from 5-7:30 pm at the gallery’s downtown location, 125 W. Palace Ave. Rivera will also be at the gallery on July 28, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm, to answer questions about his artwork and process.

Reach out to our team of art advisors with any questions about the gourd art seen in this blog. We'd love to see you in any of our 3 locations, where you can enjoy these pieces in person.