Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry

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

  • About
    • Art Resume
    • Artist Statement – Land Acknowledgement
    • Teaching, Exhibits, Projects
  • Galleries
    • Functional Ribbed Work
    • Wall Pieces
    • Woven and Folded Bark
    • Sculptural Blends
    • Community
  • Workshops
  • Weaving Knowledge
    • Workshops
    • My Teachers
    • Resources
  • Blog
  • Contact

The Community Completes the Artist

November 14, 2025 By Melinda

There are lots of reasons artists create their work…necessity (pay the bills), compulsion, yearning, expression, exploration, joy, invention, obligation….but many of us do our work alone. One of the beautiful things that happens when artists open up their studios to the outside world…is the interaction and exchange of ideas with friends, neighbors, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Artwork, Community, News, Upcoming Tagged With: Art in the Woods 2025, Art in the Woods Studio Tour, cafnw, community, Community partnership, Cultural Arts Foundation NW, fiber art, painting, Sydni Sterling painter, Sydni Sterling Studio

Grateful for a Community That Supports Local Artists

November 14, 2024 By Melinda

On the second weekend each November, Cultural Arts Foundation Northwest presents the Art in the Woods Studio Tour. Many talented artists who mostly work in isolation throughout the year come out of the “woods” to share their work. The studios are open Friday through Sunday from 10-5 each day. This is a fun event for those who like to see art, be … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Artwork, Community, My Teachers, News, Upcoming Tagged With: AIW, Art in the Woods, Art in the Woods Studio Tour, Art in the Woods Studio Tour 2024, Art sale, community, community support, Cultural Arts Foundation NW, Sydni Sterling, Sydni Sterling painter, Sydni Sterling Studio, Sydni Sterling's Studio, Veterans Day Weekend

Art in the Woods Studio Tour 2024

November 2, 2024 By Melinda

Art In the Woods Studio Tour It is wonderful to be back in Sydni Sterling’s light-filled studio once again for the 2024 Art in the Woods Studio Tour. 2019 was the last time I participated, but I’ve been making new art all along, as well as changing and altering pieces I started long ago. I’m grateful to all my teachers, to my family, and to this … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Artwork, Community, My Teachers, News, Plants and Places, Upcoming Tagged With: Art in the Woods, Art in the Woods 2024, Art in the Woods Studio Tour, artistic cedar weaving, exhibits of new work, Indianola Country Store, Sydni Sterling, Sydni Sterling painter, Sydni Sterling Studio

Art in the Woods Nov 11-13

September 22, 2016 By Melinda

Giant Hearth Basket by Melinda West

Hi friends and fellow artists. I am working on commissions and creating new work with Pacific Northwest plant fibers which will be available this November 11,12,and 13 at Sydni Sterling's Studio and gallery, in Indianola, Washington, as a part of the 2016 Art In The Woods Studio Tour. In 2017, I will be writing a workbook/resource for … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Artwork, News Tagged With: art, Art in the Woods Studio Tour, culture, IslandWood, new work, residency, science, small plant fiber project, students, teachers, teaching, website upgrade, young people

Art In The Woods Studio Tour 2015

September 7, 2015 By Melinda

<img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-3185" src="http://www read this article.melindawest.com/mwwp/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/image26-545x357.jpg" alt="image" width="545" height="357" /> Once again Sydni Sterling and I will participate in the Art In The Woods Studio Tour, this November 6, 7, and 8, at Sterling Studio, in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Artwork, News Tagged With: Art in the Woods Studio Tour, Sydni Sterling Studio

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • Next Page »

Search the site

Subscribe

Blog Categories

Connect with Melinda

  • Facebook
  • Instagram

Recent Posts

  • Lissa Hunter’s Take Two Online Workshop
  • Ernestine Hayes – “Here We Are Together – Our Only Future Is a Future Together. As Humans.”
  • Healing Words – Human Values
  • Greetings – It’s 2026!
  • The Community Completes the Artist

Popular Blog Topics

art Art in the Woods Studio Tour Artistic Weaving With Western Red Cedar Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network Bainbridge Artisans Resource Network BARN BARN workshops cedar bark Cedar From Tree To Pouch Clam Basket A Story By Ed Carriere class community creative Cultural Arts Foundation NW early spring Ed Carriere English ivy Fall First Peoples grasses inner cedar bark IslandWood ivy Katie Jennings leaves new work North Cascades Institute NW sweetgrass Pacific Northwest papermaking Paper making Small Plant Fiber Projects spring students summer Suquamish Sydni Sterling Sydni Sterling painter Sydni Sterling Studio teaching weaving Weaving With Western Red Cedar Western red cedar winter workshop

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.
Read More
Melinda West and basket, Indianola WA

Copyright © 2026 Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry | Indianola | Washington | USA

Site by LND