Name: Suganthy Karuppia (Sugi)
Patch affiliation: Calabash Club of Silicon Valley
Email: sksugi@gmail.com
Phone:408-455-3638
My love for art started when I first visited the Grand Canyon. I was always interested in Native American art, especially pottery with intricate patterns. I have tried my hand at numerous things over the years, like card making, graphic design, pottery, watercolors, oil painting, ancient forms of Indian Tanjore art, and jewelry. I finally settled down with gourd art. I am primarily self-taught and have an avid interest in learning different types of art. Because gourds are so multi-faceted, their uses are endless. Gourds come in many shapes and sizes; they can be carved, painted, pyrographed, dyed, and their rims can be woven with pine needles and other basketry materials. I can and do many different things with gourds, from a hanging gourd basket for plants to masks for wall decor. For me, weaving with pine needles and wood-burning on gourds is a great way to relax, and best of all, 100% of my art sale goes towards my NextVision charity. About my charity When I was a little girl, I accompanied my father to his small farming village in southern India. I loved being there with my father and watching as he helped people with the little money he had. After my father’s death, I didn’t want to go back to the village without him. But something in me said I needed to continue what my father had done for his village, helping the people in need. From that moment on, every summer, my sons and I would spend two weeks in the village, helping the schools with good drinking water, drilling wells, sanitation, supplying sports equipment, and other essentials. I realized early on that helping the children succeed and helping my father’s village be more self-sufficient was my calling. This is why I started a non-profit organization called NextVision Charity Inc (501c). I started making jewelry and now gourd art to fund NextVision(www.thenextvision.com). One hundred percent of the proceeds go toward my charity.
