Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry

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

Clam Shell Rattle Necklaces

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I was delighted to be invited by teacher, Peggy Koivu, to share the cultural art and science story that my practice of art imparts, with her first and second graders at their Environmental Education Camp retreat. Part of the Bainbridge Island Public School system, this was a class from their Odyssey Program, an alternative program involving lots of … [Read more...]

Traditional Fishing Weir

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This split cedar root and cedar limb fishing weir was just completed by Suquamish weaver Ed Carriere.  He spent most of the year working on materials preparation; every elders trip; all his sight-seeing voyages from China, to Antarctica, to Mexico, and the Bahamas.  Ed gets around in his retirement and has made the largest open twined basket that … [Read more...]

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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Melinda West and basket, Indianola WA