Thirty-six years ago, while sitting on the beach playing with my young children, I made my first basket out of a pile of willow trimmings someone had tossed there. It looked like a crazy bird nest. The simple experience of weaving, with the natural materials at hand, while being together with my two sons on a beautiful Pacific Northwest shoreline, kindled a passion in me for creating art using plant fibers. I thank my family, my community, and all my teachers for cultivating this gift in me.
I began my career as a pediatric nurse, born and raised in Seattle. But forty-one years ago, when we moved to an old cottage in Indianola, Washington, I found a small Salish basket on a shelf. As I cradled the basket something changed inside me. The late Upper Skagit Elder, Vi Hilbert, once said: “An Old Native Basket has a life of its own. The basket will have something different to teach each person that holds it.” For me, holding that basket touched my heart and made me want to learn: “who made this”, “what are the materials”, “how did they construct it”, “why was it made”, “what was it used for”? The physical act of touching and holding the old basket gently guiding me towards another career as an artist and teacher. Sharing a love of culture, environmental stewardship, and the healing nature of weaving with plants, is my passion.
“An intimate participation leaves a memory as long as you are on the earth”….Skokomish Elder, Bruce Miller
This website is dedicated to my three grandchildren, Camas, Asha and Calla.
