he things that nature seems to discard, like acorns and pine
needles, have a place and a purpose with Karen Fenwick.
With great care and precision, she collects nature's cast-
aways — from gourds to walnuts — and breathes new life
into them, resulting in vibrantly hued and captivating baskets, which
she crafts from her Bloomfield Hills home.
"I'm really drawn to nature," Fenwick explains. "I just think it's
the coolest thing to make something from the earth — something
really beautiful."
But it takes dedication — and the courage to brave nature.
Gourds have toxic mold spores inside them, so Fenwick wears gog-
gles and a respirator when she opens them up and she seals them,
inside and out, with polyurethane to make them safe for people's

homes. Working with a hand-power saw and other tools to carve
out her designs, she then applies leather dye to the gourds to give
them their vibrant color. She also applies a variety of found and pur-
chased objects, from pine needles, jacaranda pods and philodendron
sheaths to polished gemstones inlaid for added sparkle.
"I have more tools than my husband," says Fenwick. "My supplies
totally take over the house."
Fenwick became an artist suddenly, by chance. An outdoor
educator, Fenwick, 56 — and the mother of two grown children,
Stephen, 30, and Marla, 27, with husband Ron — has taught chil-
dren about gardening, harvesting and conservation at the Bowers
School Farm in the Bloomfield Hills School District and is the
co-director of summer camp at the E.L. Johnson Nature Center in

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