Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry

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

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May Passes in a Flurry – A Blurry Month of Growth and Activity

June 8, 2011 By Melinda

  Come to the page and rest, says Julia Cameron in her book “The Artist’s Way”. I have desired this as I do every May. In spring, as the anticipation of its promised glories slowly creep into winter-weathered bones, the business of the season, all that is required, overtakes us like a Tsunami. Planting seeds; preparation of soil; regaining paths … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Students, Weaving Nature, Workshops Tagged With: 4th-6th grade, artist in residence, Cedar Mat Necklace Pouch, graduate students, inner cedar bark, IslandWood, Small Cedar Projects, spring, students, weaving, Weaving With Western Red Cedar, Western red cedar, workshop

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About Melinda

Forty 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 wildly made like a crazy bird’s nest. While being together with my two sons on a beautiful Pacific Northwest shoreline, this simple experience of crafting with the natural materials at hand kindled a passion for creating forms using plant fibers. I thank my family, my community, and all my teachers for cultivating this gift in me.
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