Basket Bits Feature

If you haven't seen it yet, I am the featured artist in the current issue of Basket Bits magazine, #67-August 2009. Here is an excerpt from the article.

What drew you to basket weaving?

I grew up in a family of creative people, who were always making something. When I was little and would go over to my grandparents, I would draw pictures and my grandma would make them into stuffed animals. Basically we made stuff all the time, so I grew up with the idea that if you had an idea in your head you could just make it in 3D.

My mom owned a fine needlecraft store where she also carried other current craft trends, like stenciling, folkart painting, etc., which gave me the opportunity to dabble in various arts and crafts. Making baskets was a perfect fit for me because I could start with a concept and a pile of wood strips and in a few hours I would have this completed basket. Like my grandma, who would take a few scraps of fabric and make a bird out of it for me to play with, I could now take a bunch of reed and make it into something that was only in my head.

Beyond all of that I am drawn to the repeating and rhythmic patterns in baskets. I have always been drawn to the repeating shapes in nature like the veins in leaves or the spirals in shells. I find the process of weaving to be relaxing yet exciting as you watch the basket take shape.