Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry

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

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Togetherness (Formed Cherry-Bark)

August 28, 2013 By Melinda

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This summer, Sydni Sterling opened her studio during the annual Indianola Days Festival, and I was fortunate to show my new work in her beautiful garden courtyard. Sterling Studio has been on the roster of the Art in the Woods studio tour that takes place in North Kitsap each November, and this is where Sydni sells her contemporary and expressive paintings, prints and jewelry (www.sydnisterling.com), and I sell my sculptural art, basketry and jewelry made with plants from the PNW landscape. We are mutual admirers of each others work and our homes reflect this. The dark, natural-wood home my husband and I live in, is brightened by Sydni’s paintings of landscapes and gardens, and the Dillon-Sterling home is filled with enough of my experimental sculptural pieces to see the evolution of my work over three decades.

One of my favorite new “experiments” with wild cherry bark forms found a happy home this summer. I titled this piece “Togetherness”, because any time I displayed them apart from each other seemed all wrong, and when placed together they related to each other in a very human way.

Below are a few images from the summer open studio. If you would like an invitation to our twice yearly shows of new work; at the upcoming Art in the Woods studio tour, November 8-10, 2013; or the Indianola Days Summer Exhibition of New Work, August 8-10, 2014, please contact us.

Sydni Sterling's Garden

Sydni Sterling's triptych

Asha's Origami Display

Entering the Studio

Garden Setting

Garden Courtyard

Long-time collectors, friends and neighbors have supported our work and growth as artists for many years. We are grateful to live in this community.

Filed Under: Artwork, News Tagged With: Art in the Woods Studio Tour, basketry, community support, Fall, Indianola Days Exhibit of New Work, North Kitsap, painting, sculptural art, Sydni Sterling Studio, Syndi Sterling

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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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