Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry

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

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One Year Ago – Catching Up – IslandWood Artist Residency

May 31, 2019 By Melinda

Greetings! I’ve been working this year, but I haven’t kept up with my blog entries about the wonderful students I’ve been fortunate to meet and interesting work I’ve had the pleasure of doing this past circle of seasons.  So here is a little pictorial of last May at IslandWood, during my 16th Artist Residency there. I spend two weeks each year … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Community, News, Students, Upcoming, Weaving with Cedar, Workshops Tagged With: Barbara Lawrence, cedar bark, Cedar life cycle, IslandWood Artist in Residence, Kah-Ty-Ah Lawrence Moran, lessons of cedar tree

Lessons of the Cedar Tree

June 14, 2014 By Melinda

Art Studio at IW

This May as an Artist in Residence at IslandWood, I enjoyed sharing my appreciation of the Western Red Cedar tree with many students from the area. Young people ranging from fourth through sixth grades came from North Beach Elementary, Emerson K-12,The Evergreen School, Emerson Elementary, Adams Elementary, and The Brighton School. During their … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Students, Weaving Nature, Workshops Tagged With: artist in residence, cedar bark, cedar limbs, gathering cedar, IslandWood, lessons of cedar tree, spring, Weaving With Western Red Cedar

Gratitude for Winter Projects

April 26, 2014 By Melinda

Lopez Wing 2014 Melinda West

Spring is here, and like most plant weaving folks I'm in the midst of all the designing, constructing, gathering, and preparing of materials that the season demands. But before I rush off to all the new explorations of materials, and adventures in learning through art-making, I'd like to express my gratitude for the work I was able to complete … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Artwork, News Tagged With: cattail, cedar bark, Lopez Wing, new work, plumb limbs, rush a chair seat, winter, Yew buttons

New Wall Pieces

December 3, 2013 By Melinda

Cedar Coil on Madrona

Hopefully the snow, sleet, and otherwise dangerous driving weather will pass us by so you can come to Bainbridge Island to enjoy a weekend filled with Art. I'll be sharing new work made of various Pacific Northwest tree-barks, limbs, vines, roots, leaves and grasses. I'll be at Raquel's Mosaics Studio at the corner of Lovgreen and Madison, just a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Artwork, News Tagged With: Bainbridge Island, Bainbridge Working Studios, Cecil Ross, cedar bark, new work, Raquel's Mosaics, WA, winter, Woven Wall Pieces

Bainbridge Working Studios Exhibit

November 24, 2013 By Melinda

Detail, Cedar, Plum, Driftwood

Two studios featuring seven artists. I'll be at Raquel's Mosaics Studio.  I'll be exhibiting some of my favorite larger wall pieces, along with new work.   … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Artwork, News Tagged With: Bainbridge Working Studios, cedar bark, Exhibits, new work, weavings

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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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