This feature is intended to introduce
you to a variety of willow basketmakers from near and far. Basketmakers from around
the world have a continuing involvement in this historic craft. Some of these
individuals are production craftsmen, some basketry artists involved in traditional or
contemporary uses of willow. Some are involved in environmental installations or
sculpture. Some use willow bark to plait or twine, while others use willow rods
in stake and strand technique or as a core in coiling. Still others are growers, teachers or authors. The breadth of
their work is quite amazing. I hope you enjoy connecting with them and the work they
do.
Each of these links will connect you
to an outside site. As you read this feature make note that you can open any of these
links in a new window by clicking on your right mouse button and selecting the option to
"open in new window", or use your browser back button to return to the article.
If you know of additional practicing
willow basketmakers around the world with a presence on the web, please contact me.
Laura
Ellen Bacon
Willow artist from Derbyshire, England weaves contemporary forms for interiors
and the landscape. She exhibits
her work, accepts commissions and conducts a variety of workshops including
living willow installations.
Joni Bamford
- Rutland, UK, 100 miles north of London. Basketmaker and teacher for twelve
years. Teaches willow, hedgerow, rush, cane, modern 'waste' materials like paper,
cardboard, plastic. Member of the Basketmakers' Association. Can offer tuition to
basketmakers visiting UK.
Iris Bertz
Basketmaker from Germany. Trained with the German Guild of Basketry and also has
a particular interest in growing willow.
Susan Billy California Pomo Coiled baskets of willow, sedge and redbud.
Debbie Booth
Norwich, England. Willow basketmaker for 20 years. Grows 12 varieties of
willow; owner English Willow Baskets.
Stephanie Bunn Willow artist and environmental sculptor from England taught at Pilefletterseminar
1999in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Mary Butcher Traditional English willow basketmaker.
Michelle Cain
Willow sculptor and basketmaker from Wales, UK.
Watch
as she creates environmental sculptures such as this
26 foot high wicker otter which stands at the Welsh Wildlife Centre at
Cilgerran, near Cardigan. She also make baskets and teaches both adults and
children.
Jo
Campbell-Amsler Willow basketmaker from Monticello, Iowa. She has been teaching her willow picnic
backpack and fishing creel at conferences this year. Author of Nature's
Embellishments.
Marvin
Cohodas Coiled willow over a core of round round reed in one-rod or three rod
coiling techniques is the specialty of this Vancouver, Canada Arts professor and
basket artist. His site offers design and materials processing tips.
Ankaret Dean
Specializes in the
use of natural materials found in her local environment using them in her basketry and
woven pieces.
Peter Dibble Willow basketmaker from Norwich, England. Trained by his father-in-law Will
Berry, a well respected Suffolk basketmaker, now retired.
Sandra Eagle
Paiute - Shashone who includes beads and feathers in many of her coiled willow
baskets.
Peter
Faulkner Coracle maker. Coracles are ancient boats woven of willow and hazel branches and
covered with leather.
Anne Folehave Willow instructor who participated in Pilefletterseminar 1998.
Janet
Forgeron Willow furniture maker from Breezy Willow Furniture in British Columbia.
Steve Fuller
of Willow Pool Designs in Cumbria, England.
His Willow Pool Designs site includes reprints of magazine articles about living
willow sculpture, willow used in permaculture and other resources. Steve also
offers a photo
album of live willow installations and other examples of his work and that
of his partner Simone Siegan.
Bonnie Gale
English Basketry Willows. Norwich, New York. Traditional willow basketmaker,
teacher, author and supplier.
Richard
Gilliand (Ne Mook Na Na)
Interlochen, Michigan. Teaches willow furniture construction as well as ash and
birch bark basketry.
Graham Glanville - Galloway Basketmaker
This Scottish basketmaker makes and teaches a variety of strong functional baskets in
peeled white and buff or natural colors using coppiced willow which is grown especially
for basketmaking.
Caroline Gregson
UK willow sculpture artist and basketmaker creates traditional baskets, screens,
wall pieces and random weave willow pieces in animal and human forms.
Nigel Hall
Artist who uses willow as one of the materials in his contemporary sculpture.
Lisa Head
This central Pennsylvania basket artist who grew up in Kentucky uses natural
materials such as black willow bark, broomsedge, white oak, hickory bark and rye
straw to create coiled and plaited baskets. Her work includes plaited rye straw
dough rising baskets, storage hampers and bee skeps in the Pennsylvania German
tradition and plaited bark baskets from the Appalachian tradition.
David
Hembrow
This traditional English willow basketmaker from Cambridge, UK is part of a
multi-generation family of basketmakers. A variety of traditional willow baskets
are offered including bicycle, shopping, pet, flower, laundry baskets and a
wheeled willow shopping basket made by David's late father, Gordon Hembrow.
Alastair
Heseltine
An English sculptor, now living in British Columbia, Canada who is working with
mixed media relating to the environment. His site is a visual treat with images
of baskets, sculpture, furniture, design, landscape installations, willow
culture and much more.
Joe Hogan
Irish willow basketmaker makes both traditional and contemporary baskets using
colorful willow he grows himself. He offers finished baskets and instructional
workshops at his own studio in Loch na Fooey, Co. Galway, Ireland as well as at
various international basketmaking events.
Joe Hogan
Willow basketmaker from County Galway, Ireland. Mentioned on this Danish
site.
Rae Hunter
Lindbrook, Alberta, Canada willow basketmaker. She creates traditional, contemporary and sculptural baskets.
Tim Johnson Willow artist and environmental sculptor from England who taught at Pilefletterseminar
1999in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Arjan
Joosten Willow basketmaker from Holland offers his round baskets for sale. His site
also includes photo essays on his efforts to grow his own willow.
Lynn Kirkham
Irish basket and environmental installation artist who works on willow sculptures and
installations. Involved in the Dane Valley Willow Project and
the Dane Valley Coppice Crafts Group.
Andris Lapins
Willow basketmaker from Latvia noted for his skeined willow baskets.
Trevor Leat Willow basketmaker from Scotland. Has been a teacher at Pilefletterseminar in
Copenhagen, Denmark.
Lee Zieke and Lindsay Lee
In addition to making willow baskets, Lee and her husband Lindsay grow and sell 35 varieties of willow for basketry at their Decorah, Iowa Willowglen Nursery.
Katherine Lewis Willow basketmaker located in the Skagit Valley of Washington State, USA.
She has a small farm named Dunbar Gardens where she grows much of the willow
used in her baskets. She offers finished baskets, willow basketry supplies,
willow basketry workshops and willow basket making demonstrations.
Colin Manthorpe
Traditional willow basketmaker from England.
Bill Roeder
Bill's attention has turned to creating fine skeined willow baskets. He also
lectures and demonstrates on German fine skein willow basketry.
Heather Sanft
Traditional willow basketmaker from Nova Scotia creates historical recreations including
living fences, wattles and Irish Coracles as well as contemporary pieces.
Joanna
E. Schantz Demonstrates and teaches willow basketry at the Broom and Basket Shop at the
Amana Colonies in Iowa. Author of Willow Basketry of The Amana Colonies and Willow
Basketry for the Very Beginner.
Eva Seidenfaden Willow basketry teacher and manager of Vissinggaard,
an international center of willow-work and basketry in Denmark.
Marianne Seidenfaden Willow basketmaker from Denmark. Creator of this fanciful but realistic full body
willow cow sculpture.
Heather Shaw
Traditional willow basketmaker from New Zealand. Heather offers willow baskets such as
picnic baskets, willow drawers, cutlery trays, wine baskets, laundry baskets, letter
baskets, baby baskets and rattles, shopping baskets, clothes hampers and more done in
square work, round work and French fitching.
Simone Siegan
of Willow Pool Designs in Cumbria, England.
Natalie Silks
Along with Clare Wilks created four living willow cones at the Stathe Bridge along the
River Parret trail in Somerset, England. The cones were created by staking willow into the
ground and weaving the cone shapes. The willow sprouted and now exist as living
sculpture.
Morten Simonsen
Teaches people to grow their own willow and weave baskets, furniture and fences in his
native Denmark.
Michael Steffenhagen
Willow basketmaker from the very South of Germany. Offers traditional baskets, garden
furnishings and custom woven willow items. Translate from German.
Cita Steinmeier
This basketmaker and basketry teacher from Denmark works primarily in unpeeled
willow.
Cita offers a variety of willow basketry resources on her web page, including a
gallery of her work. Translate
this page from Danish to another language choice.
Susie Thomson Basket artist from the UK who combines German basketry traditions and
English basketry techniques in her baskets of unpeeled colored willow rods.
Werner Turtschi
Willow basketmaker born in Switzerland, travels to the United States and Canada
for study and to teach beginner and advanced willow basketry workshops.
Sandy Whalen
Basketmaker in the English willow tradition from Milford, Michigan. Conference
teacher and co-author of the book Natural Baskets.
Clare Wilks
Along with Natalie Silks, created four living willow cones at the Stathe Bridge along the
River Parret trail in Somerset, England. The cones were created by staking willow into the
ground and weaving the cone shapes. The willow sprouted and now exist as living
sculpture.
Clare
Wilks
Personal site of this willow basketmaker and sculptor living in London, England.
Teaches workshops in garden structures and living willow sculpture.
Ed Willie
Pomo/ Paiute/ Wailaki basketmaker who has taught willow basketry workshops at Miwok
Archeological Preserve of Marin.
Roy Youdale
Working in willow, almost entirely to commission, Roy designs and creates all
his own baskets. He teaches a variety of workshops in willow basketry in and
around Bristol, England.
Judy Zugish
Judy Zugish and Bill Roeder are co-founders of Fishsticks Basketry School,
started in 1991 as a field study education resource bringing local, national and
international weavers together. These creative learning workshops take place in
Judy's celebrated garden.
Jennifer
Heller Zurich
Contemporary basketmaker from Berea, KY uses black willow bark collected near
her Kentucky home to weave, plait and twine baskets that evoke tradition while
appearing timeless. She exhibits in juried shows nationally and
she offers workshops in the materials and techniques she employs.
Contact
me if you
know of other willow basketmakers who are featured on the web.
Come and Join
in the BasketMakers
Forum. Lots of friendly basketweavers are gathered there. Click
on "Guest"
to enter and read-only or join if you want to post (it's free).
Here is a list of some of the most recent Topics being discussed:
