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Mommsen turns gourds into an unlikely art form
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| by Jeremy A. Jensen |
June 28, 2006 |
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Ted Mommsen, a summer resident at Chetek River Campground south of Chetek, created the drill attachment pictured above to clean out gourds before he can use them for his creative pieces.
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When it comes time for people to clock out on their final day of work and enjoy retirement, it is mandatory that one pick out a hobby to pursue. Traveling, photography, small woodworking projects, gardening-anything that captures one's imagination and keeps their hands busy.
Seventy-year-old divorcé Ted Mommsen has tried all of those things, and has enjoyed them tremendously. However, Mommsen isn't the type of person satisfied maintaining the status quo; he is always looking for something new in which to immerse himself. His latest venture combines all of his previous hobbies into one neat vegetable package-gourds.
Long viewed as the vegetable world's version of an appendix-experts know they serve a purpose, they're just not quite sure what that purpose is-gourds are quickly becoming the latest trend in art work, largely because of their similar characteristics to wood.
Mommsen says he first learned of the creative potential of gourds from a friend of his in Georgia, where he chooses to spend his winter months. A self-described "full-time RVer," Mommsen admits he was looking for a new hobby to pass the time while hanging out during the summer at Chetek River Campground.
"He showed me a couple gourds he had decorated, and I thought it looked interesting," says Mommsen. "He gave me some gourds and I decided to give it a shot."
Mommsen has thrown himself head-first into his new hobby, as anyone who has visited his RV on the south side of the campground can attest. Eleven of the colorful creations hang from a line on the front border of his campsite, and numerous other multi-colored creations of every size and arrangement can be seen hanging around the RV. Mommsen says that in the year he has been working on the gourds, he has managed to complete somewhere between 30-35 projects ranging in style from random multicolored balls to large American flags to intricate shapes.
"I've got to find something to do with my time," Mommsen says, laughing. "So far, no two gourds have turned out alike."
Mommsen says he starts out each project by picking a gourd of the correct size for the project he has in mind. Next, he will cut a hole in the bottom of the gourd with a hole saw, and then use a drill attachment of his own design (a chain attached to a small metal pole) to clean out the innards of the gourd.
After letting the gourd dry out for two to three days, Mommsen then lays out the design for the gourd. He draws the design onto the gourd first, then follows up by drilling holes at crucial points in the design. After drilling the holes, Mommsen sands the gourd smooth, and treats them with a water seal to make them weather-proof. After the sealant dries, Mommsen inserts a colored plastic piece-similar to a ceramic Christmas tree light or a part to a Lite-Brite toy-into each of the pre-drilled holes. Mommsen mentions that with the size of some of the projects-especially a replica of the United States flag and a replica of the rebel flag, his fingers can become quite sore.
"With the flags, there were over 840 plastic pieces, and I had to drill each hole and push them in one-by-one," Mommsen says, still wincing slightly at the memory. "I finally bought an adjustable thimble to keep my fingers from getting so sore."
Once all the plastic pieces are inserted into the gourd, Mommsen wires them for a 40-watt light bulb and installs a chain from which to hang his new creation.
Mommsen says it is a hobby that anyone with access to gourds can pursue. He adds that he began by completing projects with random lighting schemes, then quickly moved up in difficulty to flags, and finally on to more intricate patterns.
"The flags are tough because you're trying to put a rectangular figure onto a round object, so it's kind of tough to figure out," Mommsen explains. "Then I looked at a flag on a flag pole and realized flags usually aren't straight anyway, so I found my solution."
Plus, since gourds can be treated the same as wood, Mommsen suggests an easy cover for any mistake in the drilling phase.
"Just fill in the holes with wood putty, sand them down, and you're ready to go again," says Mommsen, showing off a repaired gourd. "The people I talked to said you can treat it like wood, so I figured, why not?"
Not looking to start a business
Even though he has received numerous comments on his creations-and even a few requests-Mommsen doesn't see his pastime blossoming into a full-time gig.
"I don't put a sign up saying, 'For sale,' but if someone wants to come over and pick one up, that's fine," says Mommsen, who adds that he charges $28 per lamp. "When you figure what it costs to put one of these together, with the plastic pieces, the wiring, the gourds and the fixtures, well, I don't come out too far ahead."
Then again, a hobby isn't for the money, is it? Mommsen guesses he puts anywhere between nine and 10 man-hours per gourd into his colorful creations.
"The time, to me, isn't that important because I'm retired and I have plenty of time," Mommsen says with a wink. "Besides, it keeps me out of trouble."
For now, Mommsen keeps his slate full by creating lamps for friends, family members, and any passers-by that have an idea for something they've always wanted to see brought to life on a gourd.
"One little girl came by and gave me the idea of making a big smiley face," Mommsen says, pointing to two larger gourds sitting on a picnic table in front of him. "That's what these are for; one of them will become a smiley face, and I haven't quite figured out what to do with the other one yet."
Rebel Ted?
Born and raised in Chetek, Mommsen does admit he gets quite a few looks and even a few questions about the rebel flags flying outside his camper. He hopes people will not get the wrong idea about him or some of his fellow RVers on the south side of the campground merely because of the Dixie-inspired decorations.
"I don't want anyone thinking I'm some big redneck or something," Mommsen says. "We fly the rebel flags because everyone refers to this end of the campground as the 'southern end,' so we fly them as a tribute to our camaraderie."
Mommsen explains that the atmosphere of the campground is part of what inspires him in his vegetable-based pursuits.
"We're really like a little community back here," Mommsen says, adding he gets along with everyone on the southern end of the grounds. "People walk around and they'll see my gourds lit up, and they'll just come up and start asking me questions about how I do it and where they can get one.
"I tell them they only have to come on down to the south side and place their order," Mommsen says with a smile. "I'll be here until I can't travel anymore."
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©The Chetek Alert 2009
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