Featured Artist Spring 2023 

Featured Artist is Debby Curnett from the Ventura County Gourd Artist

Written By Debby Curnett and Evy Eisele

I graduated from Fillmore High School (just like my parents) and have lived in Fillmore all my life. My husband, Tom, and I started dating during his senior year (yes, he's from Fillmore, too), but I have known him since he and my brother were in the third grade, he came to the ranch to play with my brother, and he remembers me chasing them into an orange tree with my horse.

Tom and I were married in 1970, a year after I graduated. I was 18; he was 20; such babies! We have two beautiful daughters who have blessed us with three wonderful grandchildren (Kyle, 25, Emily, 22, and Greyson, 14). Tom was a policeman at Ventura Police Department for almost 25 years, and I worked for 33 years at Fillmore High School. I started a full-time job in 1980 as the Registrar at FHS, where I had the best memories ever as a teenager attending high school and made lasting friendships with co-workers and students over the three decades I worked there. The friendships of co-workers and students from my time at the "Home of the Flashes" are long-lasting.

I did not start learning about gourd art until Michele Smith (whom I've known for at least 40 years) got me started. I had taken tole painting classes with her as the teacher in the '80s. Michele taught me a lot about blending colors, shading and giving depth to a piece. In 2012, Michele told me how much fun gourding was and wanted me to learn, but I did not have free time for hobbies until I retired. So, she pestered me to "hurry up and retire" so I could go to class with her. When that finally happened, I joined Charlene Smith's classes at the Fillmore Adult Center. After one or two classes, I was hooked. I love all the different techniques to create beautiful works of art, and I credit Charlene with being the "Obi-Wan" for me.

I enjoy learning new techniques and am comfortable working on projects so long as someone else comes up with the idea. My creative gene is something I struggle with; it helps to keep taking classes and learning from all of you pros who have been gourding for so much longer than myself. I love that gourders are so helpful to others and so willing to teach the craft. Let's keep gourding, friends!