A good drum squash is not an easy thing to find. First you have to grow the squash, and it must be turned regularly, and not get any soft or rotten spots, so special hammocks are set up to form the symmetrical drum shape most highly prized. And the rind must be just the right thickness, and even, so that there aren't any thin spots to give a sour sound, and when ready, it must be cleaned and scraped very delicately to preserve that consistency, and the cut across the widest part must be clean and even and straight. While small drum squashes aren't hard to come by, the larger sizes requires both craftsmanship and a green thumb, and the much prized pumpkin drums are the jealously-guarded product of only a few.

It's all worth it, though, as a percussion solo on a well-made squash set, performed by a skilled artist, is an unforgettable musical experience.
------

Another Christiansen-esque little guy, nspired by the glory that is the squash. (I hate squash, by the way, I will not willingly eat squash, but they're really neat LOOKING.) I had to do this painting twice. I started it in oil pastel, got about a third of the way in, and could not get the detail I needed. So I scrapped that one, but I loved the sketch, so I tried again. This is unusual--usually my disgust outweighs my ambition, but something about the drummer's face spoke to me. I went over to acrylic on clayboard, and used the oil pastel at the end for the skin tones and to add color and highlights to key areas. The end result is mixed media, and I like the combination of the two, particularly the oil pastel's use for soft skin tones.

Original is 12 x 16 on clayboard, and it is for sale. Prints are also available, both in regular and jumbo--visit [link] or drop a note!