Janis Kobe
Gourd Art

Janis Kobe has been working with gourds and teaching Gourd Art classes for the past ten years in Sonoma County.

Janis illustrates her passion for the rainforest and the preservation of nature and wildlife on her gourds. The rapid destruction of nature and the growing list of endangered animals, plants and birds are the inspiration for many of her gourds.

She creates a range of subjects on her gourds inspired by cultures such as African, Native American and Asian. Other gourds are more contemporary or very simple. Janis has created several Frida Kahlo story gourds, White Buffalo, Calla Lilies, Spirit Dolls and a variety of vessels and containers.

Due to her training as an illustrator, she uses the wood-burning tool like a technical pen and once the detailed drawing is completed, the dyes and color treatments are done and any embellishments are added. It is best to avoid direct sunlight, as the sun will cause colors to “age” with time.

When Janis was forty-two, she fulfilled her childhood dream to study drawing and painting at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.

Gourds
The Largenaria, or hard-shell gourd, is the perfect canvas. The gourd has been on this planet since before pre-historic man, and over the ages it has been used for a variety of utilitarian and decorative purposes. The gourds Janis uses are selected for a nice surface and thickness, coming from professional growers near Sacramento and Southern California.