Garden club members learn about gourd art

More than a dozen Chateau Girardeau Garden Club members attended a gourd art seminar presented by Margaret Baker at her home recently.

Baker buys the gourds and then cleans, prepares and cuts them according to what she has visualized. She adds organic and man-made decorations to her creations, which have won first place in many state competitions.

Garden Club members enjoyed an educational presentation that included topics ranging from the raw gourd and its various shapes and textures, to primitive and complex tools used for preparation and the resulting works of art.

In attendance were Carmen Robertson, Marie Stalon, Marge Bauerle, Bette Bell, Marilyn Laux, Geneva Oliver, Carol Blue, Virginia Bailey, Marie Birk, Sina Kaiser, Margaret McKinnis, Mildred Younghouse and Joan Slaughter.