Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry

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

IslandWood Students 2014

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This May I had the opportunity to bring a freshly cut Western Red Cedar tree with me to IslandWood so the young people I worked with each week could learn first hand why this tree has been, and still is, so highly valued by the Local First Peoples whose ancestors have lived along the rivers and shorelines of the Pacific Northwest for thousands of … [Read more...]

Untitled Pieces

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I'm spending a lot of time lately, (and this has happened a few times before), trying to find a surface area, or a wall space in my studio, on which to work. New piles develop each week as I gather, prepare, and dry new materials that come into their prime. I organize the dried materials, trying to incorporate as much as I can into the many … [Read more...]

Lessons of the Cedar Tree

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This May as an Artist in Residence at IslandWood, I enjoyed sharing my appreciation of the Western Red Cedar tree with many students from the area. Young people ranging from fourth through sixth grades came from North Beach Elementary, Emerson K-12,The Evergreen School, Emerson Elementary, Adams Elementary, and The Brighton School. During their … [Read more...]

Wild Twined Basket Class 7-19-14

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There is a wonderful new resource for artisans brewing on Bainbridge Island, in Washington State.  It is called the Bainbridge Artisans Resource Network, or BARN. A place for artisans to learn, share tools, practice skills, and have space and opportunity to work and network. BARN has developed site and building designs with generous help from … [Read more...]

Clam Shell Rattle Necklaces

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I was delighted to be invited by teacher, Peggy Koivu, to share the cultural art and science story that my practice of art imparts, with her first and second graders at their Environmental Education Camp retreat. Part of the Bainbridge Island Public School system, this was a class from their Odyssey Program, an alternative program involving lots of … [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