Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry

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

IslandWood Graduate Students

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A few graduate students caught the weaving bug after we met this past March during my art residency at IslandWood a fantastic environmental learning center on Bainbridge Island, Washington. These capable, enthusiastic young people brightened my Fridays this spring. Olivia and Liam helped my husband and I claim back part of an overgrown Red Osier … [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