Got Stress? ...try basket weaving!

Just another quick Show and Tell for today... When you are a "Jane of all Trades" you can't let any medium pass you by without giving it a try! 3-dimensional art appeals to be because I love keeping my hands busy as well as the feel of textures of all kinds... I'm simply tactile by nature!! I decided to try my hand at Basketry. I'm really not that attracted to functional things but I made an exception so that I could learn techniques that later I could adapt to my more sculptural creations. There is a marvelous local basket maker that started giving lessons in order to share her 30+ years experience in the craft. I usually tend to just research most mediums and jump in on my own to teach myself as I go. Taking her classes took me out of my creative comfort zone at first (I have trouble with people telling me what to do "artistically") but in the end, I was glad I didn't do it on my own. Economically it was a wise decision, my instructor had an abundant selection of supplies and tools to use that were included in the class fee. If I had to purchase them on my own, it would have been a costly investment for something that I might not want to ever do again!! Now that I have learned the technical basics of a few different styles, I have been able to see how I can proceed with creating baskets in what I like to call "Jan Style"!!  This is the perfect time of year to be out gathering "natural" supplies needed to make the baskets that I'm envisioning myself to create. Winters in Northeast Washington can be quite long, leaving plenty of time for ART... with this in mind, instead of dreading it, I'm looking forward to that first snowfall!!

Below are some Baskets that I created in my classes.

(I guess functional things can be useful!!)

Basket Trio - all natural reed w/ hand dyed reed accents
 

Hanging Basket - red willow handle w/ lake tullies

Hanging Basket - natural reed w/ hand dyed reed accents