Profiles of Featured Members.
A passion for color, basketry, fiber and the outdoors has taken me on an exploration in the countless ways a pine needle basket can be created. I recently discovered wine bottle foil. A new use for fine wine! My pieces have been featured in numerous publications both national and international, including Le Lien Creatif Autumn […]
I approach my baskets the way I approach my life: with INNOVATION, IRREVERENCE, and a dash of HUMOR. I never imagined I would stumble upon my artistic passion later in life. As a child, I was encouraged to pursue a “sensible” career. To that end, I studied hard, married young and became a third grade
Marcia Mullins has been working with black ash for more than 30 years. She learned traditional indigenous techniques from Mike Sagataw, a Potawatomi elder with a deep reverence for honoring the ancestors’ knowledge. Following Mike’s teachings, Marcia honors each felled tree and believes the spirit of an ash tree remains within the forms woven from
Why? For the love of baskets, period. Well, not period. For the love of form, texture, black ash splint, concept, process, connection, history. Many years ago I followed in my mom’s footsteps weaving “fanny” baskets with reed until I held a reproduction Shaker basket made of black ash splint. My heart raced, my mouth dried,
“Natural and wild places have always been a source of inspiration fueling my spirit and imagination.” Melinda West, of Indianola Washington, has been practicing the art of plant fiber weaving since 1985. She has studied with many native and non-native weavers and artists, the foremost being Ed Carriere of the Suquamish Tribe. Her inspiration comes
This ongoing series of container-like forms reflects my continued exploration of pattern and color. The forms are classic and simple in contrast to the patterns which are constructed into them. Stitch by stitch and row by row the form slowly grows. Each completed form stands as a record of the particular event or thought which
I graduated from San Jose State University in 1976 with a degree in ceramics and weaving. When I began working as a United State Forest Service fire lookout in Big Sur in 1979, I started making baskets with the native Coulter Pine needles. My baskets evolved, as a kind of marriage, combining my two loves
I learned from a friend in 1986 how to make pine needle baskets, and I have had a passion for this craft ever since. Over the years I have made a variety of basket types by using an assortment of materials and techniques, however pine needle baskets continue to be my favorite. During my early
Peeta Tinay’s baskets are a culmination of 25 years of experience in working with weaving materials, finishes and the technical aspects involved in antique wicker restoration.
