Art of Painting
I have experimented with growing my own calabashes over the past three years and find it quite a helpful plant in the garden and at home, once harvested. However, the yield of the plant and the way ones body reacts to so called ”NEW FOODS”, made me consider picking up a few and decorating them. I actually painted my first one, which I found in a carpenter slash pastors workshop space in Strand, under bits of antique wood off-cuts, covered in spider web residue and dust. He said I can recycle it, so I painted an awesome black and white floral design on it, and sold it for R600. The seeds from some of these calabashes were saved and planted by me in the past 3 years in a few places in Johannesburg and even as far as Mpumalanga lol. How this seed travels, and can be dormant and stored for hundreds of years is also quite fascinating.
In order to appreciate this form of artwork more, it is good to have an understanding of this plant too. This particular calabash is a vine grown for its fruit, which can either be harvested young and used as a vegetable, or harvested mature, dried, and used as a bottle, utensil, or pipe. The fresh fruit has a light-green smooth skin and a white flesh. Rounder varieties are called calabash gourds. They grow in a variety of shapes: they can be huge and rounded, small and bottle shaped, or slim and serpentine, more than a meter long. Because bottle gourds are also called “calabashes”, they are sometimes confused with the hard, hollow fruits of the unrelated calabash tree, its latin name is Crescentia cujette, whose fruits are also used to make utensils, containers, and musical instruments.
Here are some pictures of gourds that I painted and still have for sale from 2013 and 2014. I have a few on 4TH Avenue in Linden outside the wool and fabric shop, and these are in my cottage in Linden. They make excellent incense holders and interesting deco, something that will definitely get your guests talking about art I hope 
My number is 072 146 9017 and email nntreasure@gmail.com
Please note that if I do not respond promptly I am in my garden at the Pirates Sports Club literally 
A few years ago, I made this post and signage figured its worth re-sharing
Happy Yappers is a pro life animal sanctuary based approx 30km away from Magaliesburg Village. It has been running over a decade, and the lady taking care of the animals even broke down her own house in order to finance taking care of the animals brought to her by people in the surrounding areas. Unfortunately the sanctuary has gotten a lot of bad publicity in the past few months, and the main organisation that is not pro life in South Africa has taken steps to close it down. Fortunately there are people like me who do care, not only about the animals but also about the people and community there. Do you care too?
I went out and painted numbers on all the runs one day and the word toilet on the long drop box as well, next to the toilet was a big board wasting away and I figured they need a sign. This is how I made a quick sign.
Step 1
Using a acrylic black roof paint (yes roof paint because of its high UV radiation and acid rain resistance) I painted over the surface of the deteriorating piece of wooden board.
Step 2
Using a ruler I measured a straight line and drew it with chalk on the wooden board. I also measured the length and height that the wording would fill up and spaced it accordingly to the size of the template I was using.
Step 3
I made my template by printing up the letters using the font I wanted to use onto already used paper (recycling what would have been wasted) and cut them out. For more permanent templates one can do the same, and then trace the letters onto cardboard and cut them out of the cardboard. I already had done this for different sign. I traced the wording onto the board.
Step 4
Once the wording had been traced onto the wooden board, it was time to start painting YAY 
I used white washable matt acrylic paint (mainly for ceilings and walls, but very good for this purpose as well because of its UV resistant quality).
Step 5
The wording completed, the phone number was next.
Step 6
The next morning I started adding a rainbow in the background (I suppose one should do the background first, but here is a perfect example of how its not always necessary, time did not allow much planning on this one, this was a quick sign.) The rainbow represents the pathway to the other side where animals and owners meet up once both have passed on. We headed out to the sanctuary and I finished the sign there. This is what it ended up looking like.
Step 7
Considering that so many animal lives were at stake at the time we put the sign up in a temporary way, so that volunteers would not miss the entrance and two donkeys – one we call Mr Nosey came to inspect it. He seemed very happy with the added color to his environment.
Happy Yappers relies solely on public funding to take care of the animals and there are well close to 300 as far as I know – donkeys, pigs, dogs, cats, a peacock, a few ducks and chickens too. If you do care kindly follow them on facebook or see below for details as to how to contribute toward the sanctuary in many ways.
If you would like me to revamp old wooden boards and utilise the resources you do have to create sign boards that are both effective and original kindly contact me on 072 146 9017. Check out other posts for more examples of sign work I have hand painted.
Banking Details:
Happy Yappers Animal Sanctuary
Standard Bank Keywest
Acc 021428980
Please email us a proof of any donations so that we can send you a thank you letter gaynorl@vodamail.co.za
Should anyone wish to contribute specifically to the centre’s veterinary bill, please use the words VETERINARY BILL as your reference.
Should anyone wish to arrange a visit or contribute in other ways e.g workmanship or toward the ongoing sterilization campaign kindly contact Gay on 076 385 8021