Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry

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

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IslandWood Graduate Students

May 22, 2013 By Melinda

A few graduate students caught the weaving bug after we met this past March during my art residency at IslandWood a fantastic environmental learning center on Bainbridge Island, Washington. These capable, enthusiastic young people brightened my Fridays this spring. Olivia and Liam helped my husband and I claim back part of an overgrown Red Osier Dogwood patch growing along a small stream on the property where we grow our food.

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Being practical sorts, they jumped right into making their own backpacks. Maybe I should have tried talking them into making something a little less demanding! along with the swamp dogwood we used some fresh ornamental birch, English ivy, Western red cedar bark, and split cedar limbs.

Olivia and Liam at Work

But I forgot to. And I’m glad? They inspired me to get back into the branch work required.

 

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I did my best to stay ahead of them. That wasn’t easy, but it was great fun!

 

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Thank you Olivia and Liam, for your hard work and commitment to learning! You will have a huge positive impact where ever you go!

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I send out warm wishes to every one of you IslandWood Graduates, and thank you for helping me learn better how to share a love of natural science and art with young people. Thank you and all the best!

 

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Here is Olivia’s blog, with all kinds of projects she’s been up to.

http://weavingspring.wordpress.com/

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So my grandson, Asha, finally gets a larger backpack!

Filed Under: Students, Weaving Nature, Workshops Tagged With: English ivy, graduate student program, IslandWood, ornamental birch, Red Osier Dogwood, spring

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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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