Ceil Rossi is a member of Artists in Real Time, Inc. and annual participant in the city-wide Open Studio Hartford. She lived in Arizona for over 30 years and it was during this time she discovered gourds, the magical art form of the southwest. her earthy artwork is grown from the ground and it's these hard shelled vessels that have perpetuated her passion for art. An unusual medium for any New England artists, nature's pottery has helped Ceil Rossi of Agawam nurture her creativity. The gourd is a 3-dimensional canvas that can be carved, wood-burned and painted. The paints that Ceil uses are transparent ink dyes, you can see the mottled skin of the gourd. She opened The Carefree Gourd Gallery and teaching studio in the quaint town of Carefree, Arizona and has been teaching and creating gourd art sculptures for 14 years. She is a member of the Agawam Community Artists and Artisans and the Agawam Cultural Council. Her work has been shown in several galleries around Massachusetts and Connecticut and she has participated and won honors in several fine art shows. In addition to exhibiting and teaching she presents a lecture called "From Field to Fine Art" on the history, art and culture of the gourd. Her lecture has been enthusiastically accepted by all, as she talk about the raw gourd beginning from the pre-historic era to present day as it becomes a piece of fine art.