84th North Carolina Gourd Arts & Crafts Festival
August 29 – 30, 2026
2026 Instructor Biographies
Alphabetical by last name
Cara is a self-taught artist from Trinity, NC. She’s been creating art professionally since 2007. Her specialties are realistic acrylic paintings and gourd sculptures of animals. She focuses on details and refined techniques learned through her years of experimenting, combining gourds, wire, and various clays together to create complex creatures. Her work has been in gallery and museum exhibits across the US and sold worldwide online. You can see her work at her website www.carabevan.com
Robyn Goode
North Carolina
robynrc92 at yahoo.com
Robyn has been doing art for over 30 years and has a background in fine art. She discovered gourds in 2010 when she went looking for a new media to work with. She has won many ribbons for her work and is a part of the N.C. Society and American Gourd Society. Robyn teaches gourd art at various festivals and events in NC. She sells her gourd art and fine art at various shows and venues. The joy of meeting people and teaching different techniques is one of her favorite things to do.
Deborah Hildinger received a Master of Fine Arts degree from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas with a double major in Printmaking and Painting in 1979. Upon graduation, WED Show Production employed her as a finishing artist during the construction of EPCOT Center at Walt Disney World. Before moving to California in 2004, Deborah was administrator of the permanent art collection at Orlando International Airport and responsible for the works of art produced by internationally acclaimed artists. Deborah retired in 2016 from the Santa Maria Public Library where during her tenure she held the positions of Cultural Events Coordinator and Library Artist. Within these positions, she managed the arts programs and galleries for adults and children. In addition, she retired from her position as an adjunct instructor at Allan Hancock College. From 2005 to 2016, Ms. Hildinger taught lecture and studio classes.
Around 2010, Deborah read an article in the newspaper about gourds as a fine art. After researching the field, Deborah chose to move away from two-dimensional to three-dimensional art. For her, working with gourds has an element of surprise that is reminiscent of her involvement with printmaking. She utilizes an intuitive approach where the key is to let the gourd guide the way to fruition through a variety of materials and techniques.
Deborah is an award-winning artist in her own right within the mediums of printmaking, painting, pastel, digital imagery, and fine crafts. She has exhibited in galleries, museums, and art festivals throughout the United States.
Leslie Meier
North Carolina
lesliemeierart at yahoo.com
Leslie Meier is an NC native, a retired law enforcement officer and former make-up artist. She has been growing gourds for over 11 years now and has been doing some form of art for over 25 years. Her style is reminiscent of Tim Burton and is currently working in multimedia, to include either gourds or pottery in many of her award-winning pieces.
Regina Pena
North Carolina
hawaiiangee at icloud.com
Like most people, during the 2020 pandemic, Regina started taking pyrography classes with Jeanette Egan, a member of Triangle Gourd Patch. It was through local friends’ advice. Regina started using gourds as a medium for her art and the rest is history.
Today, Regina has expanded and developed her wood burning skills to include clothing such as western style hats, baseball caps and handbags. Regina has been a member of the Triangle Gourd Patch since 2022. She has recently started teaching and enjoys helping her students create beautiful art.
Sheryl Scott is a popular teacher at many gourd events. She and her husband Tim grow gourds in Kentucky. Sheryl is both an instructor and a vendor at this year’s festival.