Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry

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

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Art Making in the North Cascades

September 26, 2012 By Melinda

View from Sourdough Falls

I was privileged to be part of a community of wonderful, artistic people this September, at North Cascades Institute, during their annual Art Retreat.  Kristen Gilje, Jocelyn Curry and I, each facilitated classes in our respective art-forms.  We were treated to the best food, all fresh from nearby Skagit Valley farms, prepared by the artisan-chefs. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Artistic Uses of Plant Fibers, News, Workshops Tagged With: armature building, artist retreat, cedar bark paper, Fall, hiking, Jocelyn Curry, Kristen Gilje, mixed grass paper, North Cascades Institute, North Cascades Mountain Range, organic foods, restful, Sculptural Basketry and Papermaking with plants from the NW Landscape, students, surface treatment, workshop

2011 NCI Class – Finished Projects

July 12, 2012 By Melinda

8-8-11 035

What a joy it was for Elizabeth and me to see what these students had accomplished in four days.  These types of introductory workshops are always more about the process than the product, but it is meaningful for students of any age to have physical reminders of what they are learning.  I have noticed that when students begin working with Western … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Artistic Uses of Plant Fibers, Students, Workshops Tagged With: 2011, Artistic Weaving With Western Red Cedar, cedar bark preparation, class, creative, design, inspire, North Cascades Institute, North Cascades Mountain Range, students, summer, weaving, Western red cedar bark, workshop

Artistic Cedar Weavers at North Cascades Institute

September 27, 2011 By Melinda

Artistic Cedar Weaving 8-11 at NCI

This summer I had the privilege of spending four days on Lake Diablo, in the North Cascade Mountains of Washington State.  But I certainly wasn’t roughing it.  I got to stay in a beautiful lodge, and eat wonderful, fresh, organic food, artfully prepared.  The best part of my experience was being able to share time with the amazing group of students … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Artistic Uses of Plant Fibers, Students, Workshops Tagged With: cedar, class, First Peoples, inspire, Lake Diablo, native plants, North Cascades, North Cascades Institute, North Cascades Mountain Range, organic foods, retreat, students, Weaving With Western Red Cedar, Western red cedar, workshop

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Recent Posts

  • Local History – Interview With Barbara Ann Lawrence – Suquamish Tribal Cultural Teacher and Storyteller
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  • More Spring Porch Papermaking – With Ivy Leaves

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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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