“As a relative new comer to basket making I would like to think that my motivations are simple. Chief among them is a strong craft background. Process, scale, material, and function, whether it is real or implied have been major issues. My choice of materials hopefully addresses the issue of the status and validity of an art making material.” Stephen Johnsonjust what constitutes a 'proper' art medium? are staples office supplies or art supplies? what about paper? and i thought shoe polish was, well, for shoes. then i saw stephen johnson's modern baskets and i understood. he staples hundreds of raffle tickets together and forms elaborate, sophisticated baskets - and everybody is paying attention to his art. for a kid who always got in trouble for playing with the stapler (ok - so i wasn't perfect, but that's a story for another day) it feels like vindication. you rock stephen!
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