Willow Basketry
Basket Gallery
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In gratitude to my teachers for sharing their knowledge and skills. I am honored to be a part of this lineage and I am devoted to keeping this tradition alive.
Margaret Mathewson, Skelk, Eli Goodwin, Ben Goodwin, Willow, Lobster creek, ZigZag spider, Storm King, Bingboo
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Every Process is a Story
partial beaver skull
Harvest like a Beaver. Weave like a Spider. Hold like a Bird’s nest.
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The winter willow harvest and its seasonal rhythm has taken me to majestic rivers, creeks, wetlands, farms, and roadside ditches. Capacious in their ability to put out new shoots year after year, willows have a generous and regenerative spirit. When supported through a traditional method of woodland management known as coppicing, they create a rich variety of habitat and benefit biodiversity. It’s a practice that has been performed by humans (and beavers!) throughout the world since time beyond memory.
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Once harvested the willow needs to be sorted and cured in a dry place. This can take up to 6 months in some places. Once cured, the willow can be soaked, mellowed and woven into a basket!
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beaver coppiced willow
