Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry

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

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A Space to Work and Meet

January 24, 2021 By Melinda

This has been a year hasn’t it? Fear of losing family and friends to a virus that is transmitted unwittingly by those with no symptoms. Uncertainty. Misinformation. No work, or work from home. No school, or school from home. A daily bombardment from those in leadership who behave the opposite of how we hope to raise our children to behave. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Community, News, Upcoming Tagged With: branch work, Paper making, students, studio, West Woods Working

More Pictures From NCI Art Retreat

October 2, 2012 By Melinda

Kathy Puts It All Together

I am a hunter-gatherer of plant materials and I use them for specific fiber technologies.  Because of the rarity of some materials, the time put into the gathering of others, and the painstaking preparation of most of the materials once gathered, I have developed the habit of saving my scraps.  When I met Sue Smith in the late 1980's early 1990's, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Artistic Uses of Plant Fibers, Students, Workshops Tagged With: armatures, cedar bark paper, creative, Creative Arts Retreat, Fall, mixed grass paper, North Cascades Institute, Northwest Landscape, Paper making, plant fibers, recycling materials, Sculptural Basketry and Paper Making, students, surface treatment

Workshop at North Cascades Institute 2012

June 12, 2012 By Leslie

I'll be teaching a fun class inspired by the Northwest landscape and First Peoples traditional uses of the plant fiber resources.  Come to this rejuvenating  Artist's Retreat in the beautiful North Cascades. Be sure to ask NCI about how to qualify for a partial tuition scholarship. A description and details are available at the North Cascades … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Artistic Uses of Plant Fibers, News, Workshops Tagged With: class, North Cascade mountains, North Cascades Institute, Paper making, Sculptural Weaving, Sculptural Weaving and Paper Making, Sculptural Weaving and Paper Making with NW Materials, workshop

Paper Making and Sculptural Work

May 31, 2012 By Melinda

Vine Maple and Cedar Paper

  Using the treasures of natural plant materials, handmade papers, and perhaps recycled personal artifacts, students create interesting sculptural forms, and/or baskets, each piece with it's own story to tell.  Please click the link in the side bar for more information about this upcoming class at North Cascades Institute. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Artistic Uses of Plant Fibers, Students, Workshops Tagged With: armature, build, cedar bark paper, Cedar weaving, class, creative, design, freeform, inspire, mixed grass paper, mixed media, natural materials, Paper making, Sculptural Weaving and Paper Making, Sculptural Weaving and Paper Making With Plants From the NW Landscape, sculpture, students, surface design, workshop

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  • Bare Bones Abstracts
  • A Space to Work and Meet
  • Cedar Bark – Useful and Beautiful
  • October 2020 London Craft Week at J&M Davidson
  • Land Acknowledgement 2020

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About Melinda

Thirty 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. The experience of weaving with the materials at hand while being together with my sons on a beautiful Pacific Northwest shoreline, kindled a passion for creating art from natural plant materials. 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

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