Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry

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

Mathewson and West’s Woven Wearables Workshop at BARN

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When we share our art making with others, magic happens! We are grateful for the wonderful students that turned out for the Woven Wearables workshop this October at the Bainbridge Artisans Resource Network (BARN). Some of you came from as far as Oregon and Alaska. Others traveled less physical distance, but you all had in common that you made … [Read more...]

Betty Pasco – Recipient of the Bainbridge Island Museum of Arts BRAVA AWARD in 2023

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Here it is finally, full-on Spring where I live. The birds are singing and chattering, zipping by me as I wander through the garden. Thoughts of last Spring come around again and I remember being invited into the home of Betty and Duane Pasco. Betty is in her 80’s, Duane in his 90’s. They are both excellent storytellers because they have memories … [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