Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry

Growing, gathering, and weaving with plant fibers from the Pacific Northwest

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Season for Dreaming and Making

November 1, 2014 By Melinda

The shortening days are sneaking up on us now. We’ve been eating well out of the garden, putting plenty of food up for winter, and now I’m actually delighted with the rains and the darkness.  The weather is helping me focus on weaving and  making art.  In the cozy studio I’m coming face to face again with materials that I’ve had the opportunity to gather from uncountable landscapes.  As I wet the materials, they release sweet and pungent scents, bringing me back to those places as I handle them.

Cedar Fan by Melinda West
Cedar Fan, 36″t x 35″w x 2″d

 

Various sizes
Cedar Bark Boxes, Various sizes

 

As I sort through piles of dried limbs, driftwood, kelp, roots, and slabs of bark, sometimes friendships are found. The perfect curve of a limb holds a bark form that fits it. A beautiful stone with a story finds it’s place.

36"t x 8"w x 6"d
Cedar Bark Form, 36″t x 8″w x 6″d

Below is “Copper Forest”, an idea I’ve been dreaming about experimenting with for quite some time.  It was so much fun to make, with likely to come.

32"t x 16"w 3"d
Copper Forest, 32″t x 16″w 3″d

It is so much fun to create and make things.  What a privilege and joy it is for me to get up and go to work each day!

 

Filed Under: Artwork, News Tagged With: Art in the Woods Studio Tour, Cultural Arts Foundation NW, new work, Sydni Sterling Studio, winter

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About Melinda

Thirty 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. The experience of weaving with the materials at hand while being together with my sons on a beautiful Pacific Northwest shoreline, kindled a passion for creating art from natural plant materials. I thank my family, my community, and all my teachers for cultivating this gift in me.
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Melinda West and basket, Indianola WA

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