First I would like to say thanks for visiting www.AbnormalArts.com..  

My name is Cindy Phillips and I am an artist. I call myself "The Gourdamn Gourdess" ( came up with the first part of the name at the dinner table.).   I would have gone with " The Gourdmother"  but out of respect for John Stacy ("The Gourdfather") I have decided that I have not yet earned the right to use the forementioned name.  You guessed it!  I love Gourd Art.

The Gourdamn Gourdess

This is me, Cindy Jo.  I live in Hamtramck, Michigan.  

I am a self taught artist with skills in the following...

Mosaics
Gourd Art
Art Dolls
Sculpture
Beading
Sewing and Costume Design
Pyrography
Jewelry Design
Graphic Design
Basket Making
Fiber Art
Decoupage
Leatherwork
Digital Photography (although I still need work on this one)

I will be including tutorials in the above subjects in the near future on this web site.  I know how difficult it can be to learn a new art form.  If I can help someone to not have to do as much research as I have done to learn a new craft than I have accomplished one of the things I have set out to do.

I am soon to be 36 years old and I am a Gemini.  Being a Gemini sometimes plays a role in the outcome of some of my work.  My mood changes so drastically at times  that what I thought would be right in a project one day will have to be ousted the next for fear of the wrong response from or perception of others viewing my work.

 I am very critical of my art expression mostly because of text-book definitions that seem to be restricting and limiting to what I feel would be a more interpretive rendition of what is in my minds eye.

Here are some of the mediums I work with

Acrylic Paint
Watercolor Paint
Acrylic Inks
Leather Dyes
Polymer Clay
And whatever Mother Nature will allow me to have without hurting her.

I love to create things of interest (not necessarily of beauty).

My favorite canvas to work on so far would have to be the gourd.  They are all very different from the inside to the outside.  Many people say that the gourd speaks to them, letting them know what they want to be.

In addition to the many books I have studied on many different forms of art are the thoughts that I have kept young in my brain since I was a child.  I am speaking of what is thought to be fantasy but not necessarily fiction.  I believe that if we could all keep our minds as active as when we were children, we would be less critical and more creative.  I love thinking there could be something more out there than just the dimensions we know exist.  I mean at one time the Earth was believed to be flat and it was widely accepted as a fact.  Things are evolving and so does the thought process.

"Creativity is as limitless as time but both creativity and time can be hindered by a person's beliefs."

If there is anything I can do to make this a more informative experience for you than just click this link and let me know what else I should include in this site.