Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry

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

The Faering is Launched

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In 2009-2010 our eldest son, Spencer West, had the privilege of working with a team of excellent wood carvers who were gathered at Duane and Betty Pasco's to carve the Raven Canoe.  This canoe was being created for a Canoe family to be paddled on the Canoe Journey to Neah Bay.  The first of these canoe journeys, in recent times, was held in 1989 at … [Read more...]

Fall Fireweed on Mt. Townsend

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Paul and I were happy to be able to sneak a day away from a busy fall, to visit our favorite close-by Olympic Mountain hike.  We've lived on the Kitsap Peninsula for 33 years, and we are pretty sure that this was our 33rd visit to Mt. Townsend.  Though it is mostly uphill to get there, the 2,880 feet of elevation is spread out over 4 miles, and … [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