2009 January » Willow Basketmaker

More Containers, Early Detection

Jan 282009

Sharle Osborne at Containers show opening

I took the photo above of our friend Sharle Osborne at the opening of the show “Containers, Contained, Containment” at the Arts Council of Snohomish County. Her piece called “Early Detection” on the pedestal behind her appears to be giving her ‘rabbit ears’. Her sculpture is woven from western red cedar bark, waxed linen, and buff willow. Fortunately for all of us, Sharle is a cancer survivor. She is one of Katherine’s long term basketry buddies. (How do I say that with out getting into trouble?!)

This show coincides with the Bellevue Art Museum’s show “Intertwined: Contemporary Baskets from the Sara and David Lieberman Collection”, as well as basketry focused shows at several area galleries. Jan Hopkins has put together a blog with many photos of these shows. You will see a few of my photos from the “Containers” opening included. My earlier post about the opening is here.

P.S. The large sculpture to the left is “Cedar Perfume Bottle” by Sue Skelly.

Willow cuttings

willow 1 Response »

Jan 272009

willow cuttings from Dunbar Gardens

We have been growing willow for basketry since 1994 at Dunbar Gardens. As Katherine became interested in willow basketmaking, she realized she would need to grow her own materials since very little cultivated willow was available to purchase in our area. In addition, it gave her more choice in selecting the size, color, flexibility and other characteristics of the willow she weaves with. As a result, we have tried quite a number of species and varieties of Salix here and currently have 60 varieties growing. We have planted over ten thousand willow cuttings on our Skagit Valley farm. Willow is easy to propagate in most soils. An eight to twelve inch cutting taken from a dormant one year old rod is planted directly into the ground in Spring. March thru April is an ideal time to plant. We have willows that are useful for basketry, garden trellises, living fences, furniture, and ornamental hedges. Willow is a very useful family of plants!

We have a list and descriptions of some of the varieties that we have had success with on our website. We are now cutting our willows and will begin shipping orders for cuttings next month.

Oyster basket

baskets 3 Responses »

Jan 262009

Replica (on left) of traditional French oyster basket

Two willow baskets for packing oysters. The basket on the right belongs to Jon Rowley of Seattle who picked it up from a basketmaker in France back in the 70′s. Jon came by Dunbar Gardens after seeing my photos of Katherine’s baskets on Flickr.com. He brought his oyster basket along and left it with Katherine to check out. Jon works with Taylor Shellfish here in the Puget Sound region and has a vast knowledge and appreciation for oysters.

The basket is a traditional form used to pack oysters to market (baskets were then returned stacked in each other). Katherine made the basket on the left as a copy. (Not bad for a first go!) She admires the efficient design of the original – a stake on each side becomes the handle, the border narrow on the back, the hinges made from one piece, the slewed base, and no waling which makes the shaping and corners more of a challenge. She did find a short description of a similar basket in “La Vannerie – l’osier” which is a French basketmaking manual. We have put Katherine’s version to use as a kitchen potato storage basket

basketmaker's perspective

Postcard

Dunbar Gardens No Responses »

Jan 242009

Dunbar Gardens postcard

Here is my latest “postcard”. I like to make a montage of photos into a postcard for a Dunbar Gardens ‘handout’. We put our upcoming events and contact info on the backside of the card. Then we have something to offer folks who come by our table at events or even those who stop by the farm. I will say that I still don’t know what I’m doing when it comes to putting the image together with Photoshop, but I usually come out the other side with something to use.

previous Dunbar Gardens postcard

Take a seat

baskets, willow basketry demos No Responses »

Jan 222009

basket stool

When Katherine does a willow basketry demonstration, she brings along a large round basket to sit on while working. A couple of her customers (sisters up in Bow, WA) noticed her use of the basket at the local Mount Vernon Farmers Market. So they have ordered a couple of these to have in their homes. I’m not sure what they put inside of them, but when guests arrive they flip over the basket and have an extra stool. The basket is woven with a red barked willow and some hand peeled white willow that Katherine made. Below is a photo of Katherine doing a demonstration in La Conner at Art’s Alive in Maple Hall this past November. You can see her well used version of the basket stool.

Katherine Lewis at Art's Alive in La Conner

Winter color

Dunbar Gardens, willow No Responses »

Jan 202009

basketry willow in sunset glow

Winter on the farm. Clear day brings some lovely yellow and orange colors out in the basketry willows. I took this photo just before the sun set. The variety in the foreground is Salix purpurea ‘Dicky Meadows’. This variety is at the top of our list for usefulness in Katherine’s basketry and good production in the field. Of course, I can’t enjoy this view too long. I have to harvest all these withies before spring! These basketry willows are coppiced to the ground every year. The willow in the photo is one year’s growth. The slender, unbranched, pliable rods are what make the plant so useful to basketmakers. There is plenty more information about our willow growing at Dunbar gardens on our website page that describes the willow cuttings we offer for sale.

Better homes and willow baskets

baskets No Responses »

Jan 152009

buff willow tray

Katherine shipped this basket last week to a customer in Montana. I like this photo because the basket is near completion, but there are enough stakes left to “show” how they are woven to become the border. It will have two side handles. The customer saw a similar basket in a recent Better Homes & Garden decorating issue and commissioned the basket. She tried to locate information about the “original”, but the magazine could only tell her that it was a “one-off” piece from a container of imported furniture. So she found Katherine via our website dunbargardens.com.

Zig zag or square

baskets No Responses »

Jan 142009

zig zag weave shopper

New willow shopper that Katherine made this week. The stakes are scallomed on the base and a zig-zag weave is used on the sides. I took photos of several recent baskets including this one to update the baskets in stock page at dunbargardens.com. Katherine oftens works by commission but we usually have some baskets on hand here for sale. The baskets in stock page is a handy way to let folks check them out. Below is a square tray which is one of Katherine’s favorite baskets to make.

square willow tray

Bassinette

baskets No Responses »

Jan 132009

willow bassinette

Katherine just finished this bassinette. She made this one for Nina and Mike who live over near Anacortes. They are having their second child, a girl, in a couple of weeks. Nina figures on using the bassinette for a toy basket after the baby outgrows it.

Containers, Containment, and Contents

basketry, willow basketry demos No Responses »

Jan 112009

Katherine Lewis, willow basketmaker

“Containers, Containment, and Contents”

January 9, 2009 to February 12, 2009 at the Arts Council of Snohomish County, 1507 Wall St., Everett. The Arts Council of Snohomish County has offered the Northwest Basket Weavers Guild and Northwest Designer Craftsmen a joint art show at the Monte Cristo Hotel Lobby. Katherine is working on the show as a board member of the Northwest Basket Weavers Guild and has two baskets in the show. If you would like to read more about the exhibit, here is an Everett Herald story about the show.

The opening reception was this past Friday, Jan. 9. Katherine demonstrated her work in the gallery as part of the event. There were quite a few of the artists in attendance. Carrie Collver and the Arts Council staff did a great job in presenting the show.

This show coincides with the Bellevue Art Museum’s show “Intertwined: Contemporary Baskets from the Sara and David Lieberman Collection”. Both of these shows will provide an opportunity to see some of the best work in contemporary basketry. Katherine will also be demonstrating her craft at BAM on Saturday, February 7, 12 to 3pm.

Suffusion theme by Sayontan Sinha

More Containers, Early Detection

Willow cuttings

Oyster basket

Postcard

Take a seat

Winter color

Better homes and willow baskets

Zig zag or square

Bassinette

Containers, Containment, and Contents

Welcome

Recent Posts

Archives

Categories

Dunbar Gardens on Flickr

Follow Dunbar Gardens

Check out

Translate this Page