Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry

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

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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

October 2020 London Craft Week at J&M Davidson

October 5, 2020 By Melinda

Lyons, Cedar By The Sea - A

It’s Fall now. The air is crisp in the shade all day, making the sun’s warmth, where found, ever more delicious. In any normal year, I’d be scrambling right now to finish all the half-made baskets and art experiments that I’d started but pushed to the side for other priority work and deadlines. That would always manage to fill the small gallery … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Artwork, News, Upcoming Tagged With: Art in the Woods, J&M Davidson, London, London Craft Week, London Craft Week 2020, Meet the Maker, Sydni Sterling Studio, Sydni Sterling's Studio

Art In The Woods Studio Tour 2013

November 11, 2013 By Melinda

A big thank you to all the friends, neighbors, former students and loyal art-appreciators, who came by to see Sydni Sterling and I this past weekend during the annual Art in the Woods Studio Tour. It is always a delightful experience for me to exhibit my sculptural work, in natural plant materials, next to Sydni’s paintings, in acrylics, that … [Read more...]

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

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Recent Posts

  • Porch Papermaking With Food Plants – Cardoon and Kale
  • Paper from the Ditch – Weathered Reed Canary Grass
  • Late Winter Papermaking – Mixing Siberian Iris Leaves and Lichens
  • More Spring Porch Papermaking – With Ivy Leaves
  • Here’s What’s Cooking – Porch Paper Making

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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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