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ARTIST
After
completing my BFA at Adrian College in 1976, and then working as a
studio potter for fifteen years, I am finally able to create the
mixed-media baskets I have always dreamed about. Unhampered by the
limitations found with clay-only forms, texture, color, shape and size
have become a satisfying reality. My baskets are made with a combination
of three materials: clay, fiber (reed), and wood.
The clay is a high fired
stoneware with dipped and brushed glazes. The challenge here is
to have a clear vision of the completed basket before starting the
piece. Using traditional wheel-throwing and hand building techniques, I
finish the clay parts first. Once I have completed that I
position and glue reed, dowel, or ash spokes in place. This stabilizes the
form for weaving.
The final process is the
weaving. I select the natural and dyed reed |
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and weave plaited and twilled patterns. I will often choose palm, vine
rattan, red osier, willow, or birch bark as accents to add a more
natural feel and texture to my baskets.
Fascinated
by exploring new and exciting shapes, I have been
continually inspired to work with the vessel as form.
Breaking from the clay-only vessel and exploring the
endless possibilities afforded by basketry as an art form
has allowed me to explore shapes and textures that were
unattainable to me in the past.
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