I AM AN ARTIST

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It's an honor to have my work appear in Weaving and Coiling!
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It's an honor to have my work appear in Weaving on Gourds!
Click photo below to read an article about Debbie in the Northern Dipper Newsletter!

I have been an artist for as long as I can remember! 

I graduated from the University of South Carolina with a BA in fine arts and immediately went to work sharing my love of art with children in public schools. 

Gourd art is something that I fell into after basket weaving for several years. As an art teacher, I could see endless possibilities for this hard-shelled, natural object. For over sixteen years, I have woven, wood burned, carved, imbedded objects and stones, and painted on gourds – still learning and creating along the way.

I am busy teaching classes, entering art shows, and discovering the possibilities that lie in the unique qualities of gourd art. My work appears in several books written by Marianne Barnes and can be found in galleries and shops throughout the region and I am a member of numerous art and gourd organizations. I am honored to be a certified judge with the American Gourd Society. 

I choose the name ARTBASGO for my business because it represents the Art of bringing together Basket weaving and Gourds into a wonderful marriage of mediums.  

ASSOCIATIONS, AWARDS AND JURIED EVENTS

Awards
Georgia Gourd Festival - Best in Show & First Place Professional, 2022
American Gourd Society - 2nd Place, Excellence in Artistry Award, 2022 
SC State Fair - 3rd Place Open Media Professional 2016
Prosperity's Hoppin' – 1st Place Fine Craft 2016
Anderson Arts Center – Merit Award 2016
NCBA 1st place – Professional Mixed Media 2016
NCBA 1st place – Overall Professional 2016
Upstate Visual Arts – Best of Show 2011
Trillium Arts Centre – Honorable Mention 2011
Arts Alive Greenville, SC– Best Of Show 2011
SC State Fair – Purchase Award 2010
Juried Art Shows
Artiflelds
Pickens County Museum
Anderson County Museum
Belton Center for the Arts –Standpipe
Artist Guild Gallery of Greenville
Art on the Trail
Crafty Feast
Carolina State Fair
Browse & Stroll Art on the Trail Market
Member of the following organizations:
MAC-Metropolitan Arts Council, Belton Center for the Arts, Carolina Foothills Artisan Center, Upper SC Basket Guild, Palmetto Gourd Patch, SC Gourd Society, American Gourd Society, Travelers Rest Artists Alliance, The Arts Council of Henderson County, North Carolina Basket Association, The Florida Gourd Society