American film star Marilyn Monroe (Norma Jean Mortenson or Norma Jean Baker). (Photo by Keystone Features/Getty Images). 1952

I would like to tell you why many artists, who like me, have painted portraits and landscapes in oils on canvas, worked with acrylics, watercolors, and pen and ink drawings, have turned to the art of gourd carving.

“1955 was a year of change for Marilyn Monroe. After leaving Hollywood for New York, and abandoning her contract with Twentieth Century Fox, Marilyn was no longer “just a dumb blonde”, but a true renegade. In January, Marilyn formed a production company with photographer Milton Greene, and moved into a suite at the Ambassador Hotel”...

Photo: American actress Marilyn Monroe (1926–1962) leans over the balcony of the Ambassador Hotel in March 1955 in New York City, New York. (Photo by Ed Feingersh/Michael Ochs Archives)

In this photo taken on Tuesday, September 6, 2016 Omar Hassan poses in front of his creation “Breaking Through Milano” in his studio in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Antonio Calanni/AP Photo)

Model Inna Magomedova uses her mobile phone while she presents “The Alive Painting” body art work by Russian artist Maria Gasanova during the Art Krasnoyarsk annual festival in Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, October 26, 2016. (Photo by Ilya Naymushin/Reuters)

A businesswoman Maha Shalaby paints ostrich eggs in Cairo, Egypt November 27, 2016. (Photo by Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters)

Light painting photographer Trevor Williams, also known as TDUB303, is a present day light painting pioneer. He creates some of his light painting imagery alone and also works with the group Fiz-iks, which he founded. Trevor is from Canada, he has lived in Japan since 2002 which is where he creates the majority of his work. His light painting images are produced with special attention to location, Trevor says, ““If you want to take an epic picture you need to go to an epic location.”