Amplifier

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Friends -
Another in the visual dimensions of music series:

There are lots of theories about why people started with music. I kind of like the Darwin theory which speculated that people began using music for some form of a 'mating call'. You know, attracting the woman of choice by making rare and attractive sounds. Of course, making them louder would reach even more cavewomen and thus would be a more efficient aphrodisiac. Undoubtedly, a good old cave became the best amplifier of the time, and the most effective place to play a flute and snag a mate. There's room for fun ideas there...

Regardless, I made my own 3-D Amplifier here with this gourd. Many things can be amplified, you know, including color. Thus, the colors on this gourd become more intense as you get closer to the speaker opening. And if you want to, you can take it apart and simply enjoy the unamplified parts. The beads hanging from the top piece serve as little weights to keep the whole thing in good gourd balance.

It is a really nice gourd given to me by my friend Judy Wainscott. The skins was unusually tight and hard to remove, but when fully cleaned it proved to be bright, smooth and really nice to work with. Even the inside is coated with that silky layering that I find few gourds have. If I am lucky enough to get in the Art In The Orchard show (Apple Hill in August), I will have this, and the other music series gourds as well. Whatever I make will go to Mother Lode Rehabilitation Services this year.

I guess I still need to ask you to stay dry. (It is June?)

margie lopez read

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