collections

"I like to work with items that society deems 'useless'. I take these pieces of ephemera and redefine them as sculpture. Each material I use has a history attached. This history speaks to the viewer on many different levels." Elizabeth Lundberg Morisette

elizabeth lundberg morisette purchases people's collections and spins them into art. she spent a year acquiring items on ebay that she later used to explore the human need to collect and what our collections say about us. what did she make? well, her own collection of vessels of course.

morisette brings new meaning to the old saying "one (wo)man's trash is another (wo)man's treasure." safety pins, keys, paper clips, hairpins, plastic curlers, swizzle sticks, twist ties. it's all fair game for this innovative artist.

though crafted from a variety of materials, many of the vessels maintain an organic feel. the basket pictured here? old zippers. the work is quirky, and offers plenty of room for reflection and observation. quirky i tell you - just like us.

landscape reports

"I make vessels because I am fascinated with form and structure. I look for inspiration in the natural world, and then allow technique to mesh with these visual ideas to create something new. I enjoy all aspects of this process: the appreciation of the world around me that suggests ideas and the search for a method of construction that allows my ideas to take shape." Mary Merkel-Hess

influenced by the iowa landscapes of her childhood, basket artist mary merkel-hess uses paper and reed to recreate the swaying grasses that dominate the midwestern horizon. merkel-hess developed a technique to make the unusual basket sculptures that combines paper mache and three dimensional collage. she uses glue to apply small pieces of paper to a mold, creating a form that she then further manipulates, bringing her memories to life.

many thanks to libby mills for this link.

financial responsibility

"True inspiration and creativity comes more readily when you learn to enjoy the journey through your art, no matter what direction it might take you. Learn to follow your artistic voice as well as guide your Art to its completion." Mary Hettmansperger

mary hettmansperger's basket makes me want to cut my credit cards up and use them to make art. fantastic idea. everybody should do it. a recent description of her book 'fabulous woven jewelry' states that she reveals the secrets of traditional basketry techniques. think she might reveal a secret or two about losing our credit cards?

art is therapy

"Childhood rituals have grown with adult veneers and have turned into a manifestation of obsessive compulsive order. Art has been added as a legitimizing manifestation that allows a semblance of sanity. The collections themselves have become a source of raw material for manipulation. Materials are assembled in vast numbers so that they take on form and substance beyond the single unit appeal." Clare Graham

after writing a post about jeanne rhea for polymer clay notes, i poked around a bit on her blog and came across a tiny blurb about clare graham's artwork. the link led me directly to an extraordinary imagination. graham embraced a diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder by spinning it upside down and making it work for him. he clearly understands the significant value of mass collections of a single item and discarded materials as not-fully-explored art mediums. the vessel above was made with pop tops from cans. in addition to pop tops, his vessels, sculpture and furniture are crafted from buttons, soda cans, tin can lids, yard sticks, scrabble tiles and dominos. see for yourself.

not ruled by tradition

"Music was my first passion. It gave me a vehicle for expressing deep feelings, and it taught me the necessity of bringing discipline and clarity of vision to my work. Sculptural coiling allows me to create a kind of visual metaphor for the music of my life." Debora Muhl

rule-breaking fiber artist debora muhl spent two decades strengthening an artistic voice that now sings a sweetgrass melody. as she sets each basket free from the constraints of traditional techniques, the coil stitched vessels seem to take on an energy all their own. you can almost see them swaying gracefully, muhl's musical composition playing oh-so-softly softly in the background.

this link was sent in by toby-the research maven-goldsmith.

capturing light

"The inspiration for the LightVessels first came to Darryl many years ago on a sun washed day at the trout stream. He was intrigued by the play of light on his fishing line and how it glistened and sparkled on the water. Since fishing and basketmaking are closely woven parts of his life, he wanted to put that special mood into a basket." Karen Arawjo

husband and wife team darryl and karen arawjo weave clear or colored monofilament over hand split white oak and hickory to create their award-winning light vessels. each translucent basket captures the light and shines delicate, ethereal rays into the room creating a calm, soothing mood. a welcome break during this season of hustle and bustle.

thanks to alison lee for the link

wired for fun

i've admired jeff dever's work for some time now. his double-walled, hollow polymer clay vessels are vivid examples of masterful engineering. i took a two day technique workshop with him a few years ago and i walked away scratching my head, still wondering "how did he do that?" my comment is not a reflection of his teaching ability-dever is a gifted, generous teacher with a great deal of patience. his meticulous attention to the details of construction and his mastery of the medium just rock.my.world.

somehow jeff's new work slipped right by me - he is now mixing wire with his pod-like, abstract polymer forms - adding another dimension to the world of baskets. many thanks to toby goldsmith for the link. enjoy!

networking

"The silk vessels I create are both transparent and translucent which hold mysteries. They have been transforming into a new sculptural form, one more akin to the human body, another container with its own mysteries." Kiyomi Iwata

kiyomi iwata sculpts luxurious, translucent silk containers that appear wispy and delicate, but as we know looks are often deceiving. reinforcing the silk with a cobweb-like labyrnth of wire threads, the weightless containers are strong and resilient, not unlike the artist herself. many of the stitched seams and openings are intentionally torn, adding to the mysterious nature of these secret-keepers...i wonder what long-held secrets have escaped?

many thanks to alison lee of craftcast for the link to kiyomi's work.

busted

“I was always interested in working with natural materials. I was raised on a farm in Idaho, so I guess you could say I grew up surrounded by future possibilities. My focus on working with alternative materials was to process them so that I could retain the natural beauty and texture of the material.” Jan Hopkins

jan hopkins makes art. she is also raising a family of four. and she runs her husband’s business. it makes me tired just thinking about the logistics. this master multitasker has an eye for unusual natural materials, transforming discarded citrus peels, sturgeon skins and lotus seed pod tops into sculptural baskets that often take on the human form. an innovative approach to basket making that draws on well developed traditional basketry skills. notice the emphasis i put on the words innovative and multitasker - it is well deserved.

blind spot

“Modern as it is in some ways, my work also harks back to the kind of dignity and pride that were possible for a craftsperson before the Industrial Revolution’s mass production methods obscured individual skill and ingenuity” Rob Dobson

venetian blinds, plastic strapping, tyvek envelopes, metal tape measures, garden fencing. these are just a few of the found materials rob dobson uses to craft his unusual baskets. his inspiration? the human ability to improvise. he enjoys the thrill of the hunt as he searches for materials almost as much as he enjoys watching disparate elements come together and take shape. his work is edgy, fresh, with a decidedly urban feel.

rebirth

"I am inspired by earthy imagery. Vegetative growth such as tendril, flower, fruit, seed connects my work with the traditional uses for baskets as they have been used daily in agricultural and domestic life over many millennia. Traditional bronze baskets are a very ancient mingei form and to me have always simultaneously evoked the primitive bronze age and the refinement of apprentice-based craftsmanship in the Far East. I see my baskets as a contemporary manifestation of these age-old crafts." Ema Tanigaki

ema tanigaki's rebirthing basket seems to be symbolic of the rebirth she experienced when she finally healed from an illness that limited her mobility for an extended period. originally a jewelry artist, her newfound health has allowed her to experiment with larger pieces like the basket pictured above. she combines her skill in traditional techniques such as crochet with modern materials to create graceful, lovely baskets.

inanimate objects

"Making baskets isn't something I "want" to do, it is something I "have" to do. The elemental nature of baskets, thinking about what can be placed in the basket, what gives life to the inanimate object of the basket, informs my work. the basket is the container of things needed to maintain my life. memories, mementos of my own life process, are kept in the baskets that I make." Marilyn Moore

noted for her color blending technique, basket artist marilyn moore weaves multiple strands of fine wires and threads, adding one new strand at a time. her technique is labor intensive, requiring a great deal of patience and mental energy. the practice is reminiscent of a meditation exercise. the result? iridescent baskets that seem to capture the light from within.

see-worthy

“The ocean and the sense of peace I feel when on the water helps to center my being and bring out the creativity from within. I catch my own albacore and use their pectoral fins along with monofilament to create my vessel forms. In working with the bones, I feel I am weaving life back into the fish, experiencing their migratory path throughout the world, and sending them on a new journey as another form. This, in turn, sends me on travels of remembrance of the joys and tribulations of each adventure at sea.” Gerri Johnson McMillin

fishbones. gerri johnson mcmillin makes delicate, gossamer baskets using fish fins and monofilament. take a look, they are just lovely. maybe not seaworthy, but certainly see-worthy. i would like to be a fly on the wall of her imagination for two minutes. enough said. fin-ish.

character traits

"I like characters. The dancer in the back row not paying attention… the punky girl with the blue hair at the checkout counter, an old Italian woman at the airport with black on black and a beautiful red umbrella. They are everywhere and yet never seen. They are life’s little stories being told all over simultaneously and without a big commercial. The ongoing circus act of humanity." Laura Balombini

laura balombini celebrates the human condition. balombini's whimsical teapots and handwoven wire vessels capture the playful, quirky character traits in "the ongoing circus act of humanity". wearing curious looks and colorful cloaks, harlequin-like polymer clay figures sit atop handwoven wire baskets. each finely detailed vessel has a distinct personality and i never get tired of looking at them – feels like visiting fanciful characters in a well written story. she describes her work as “devilish fun”. i describe it as a beautiful marriage of wire and polymer.

shape of a woman's life

"Some "Women Forms" stand alone, either in strength or in sorrow. Others rejoice in the company of other women - daughters, sisters, mothers, friends. They gather strength from their community. Each one is a visual collection of passions and griefs, joys and pains. Her form contains and is shaped by her layers of experience." Jackie Abrams

i was moved by this collection of baskets. quite striking. both the idea and the articulation. even more so when you realize that jackie abrams crafts her "women forms" from paper and wire. paper. and wire. while she incorporates fabric and beads from her travels, these magnificent baskets are primarily paper. and wire. abrams poetically explains that each basket contains the shape of a woman's life - a lovely play on words.

zip it!

"My new sculptural work suggests a narrative; a view of human nature expressed through a plaited form. The story is the same - we have a tentative hold on life, wanting to appear all together but always aware there’s a thread ready to unravel." Joanne Russo

"zip it" - did your mother say that to you when you were a kid? mine did. "susan, stop talking to your brother while he's trying to do his homework, just zip it already." it was a gentler time.

joanne russo's sculptural vessels are lighthearted and thought provoking. they give the illusion that they have have been stitched together, like a piece of clothing. many, like her 'zip it' basket, look like they are functional...but they aren't. how did she do that?

pistachios revisited

"My current body of work focuses on transforming mundane materials into something extraordinary. I draw from my own vocabulary to create interesting patterns and textures from various materials used in repetition." Lindsay Ketterer Gates

i love pistachios. love, love, love them. this contemporary basket, created by lindsay ketterer gates, is adorned with hundreds of pistachio shells and tiny glass beads sewn onto stainless steel mesh. fascinated by mundane objects and repeating patterns, gates transforms ordinary materials into sophisticated baskets. she's on my 'watch' list. now that pistachio shells have been elevated to fine art, i don't know if i'll ever throw them in the trash again. i see trouble ahead...