Sculptural Random Weave Basketry

November 2021 in the Hudson Valley, New York State

Listen / 21″21″x17″ / Grapevine, Honeysuckle Vine, Elm Inner Bark, Western Red Cedar / NFS

Walk Slow / 5″ X 5″ X 5″ / Honeysuckle Vine, White Ash Inner Bark // SOLD

Listen (small) / 9”x10”x5” / Wisteria Vine, Elm Inner Bark, Black Walnut Bark, Black Walnut Dye / $225

A weekend of exploration with wild harvested plants and found materials

Saturday and Sunday November 6th and 7th 2021

One Spot Open – Email me at katiegroveart@gmail.com to claim it.

Want to explore the sculptural aspects of basketry? In this free form basketry workshop participants will have an opportunity to play with materials and creativity to make projects of their own design under expert guidance. Imagine a table full of birch bark, vines, cattails, pine needles, wood, branches, paper, wire, and other found materials and the freedom to explore. The techniques we focus on will be random weave- a perfect technique for working sculpturally. However, I will have many baskets around for inspiration and if another technique is interesting to you we will incorporate it as well. Everyone’s projects will turn out completely differently and unique depending on their choices of material and technique. As in all my classes there will be a strong focus on discussing the specifics of harvesting and preparing different natural materials from the landscape.

Who is this class for?

Everyone is welcome in this class. It will be especially great for anyone who is inspired by sculptural and free form art, artists and craftspeople of any level, and those who want to simply spend a weekend playing and having fun with materials. While the focus is on sculptural work there is always the possibility of making utilitarian pieces as well. For participants who are first time basket makers we can look to example baskets of mine for what you might want to create. Participants are encouraged to bring their own materials to experiment with and incorporate into their baskets. Wire, fabric, wool, yarn, plastics; anything long and flexible or interesting and sculptural is fair game! Students will have the opportunity to either work on one larger basket or several small ones.

Thanks and I can’t wait to make baskets together!

-Katie

LOCATION

Old Kings Highway, Stone Ridge NY 12484

DATES

Saturday November 6th, 10:00 – 5:00

Sunday November 7th, 10:00 – 5:00

COST

$270 for the weekend

INCLUDES

All locally harvested and hand prepared plant materials to make either one large basket or several smaller ones.
Digital handouts on the techniques covered

STUDENTS SHOULD BRING

Lunch and snacks for the day. There is a great food co-op down the street if you want to go out for food.
A few tools and supplies – this will be detailed in the registration email.
Any materials of your own that you want to experiment with incorporating into the baskets.

WHERE TO STAY

If you are traveling to the workshop there are many lovely places to spend the night locally. Here are a few links to the ones I am somewhat familiar with and a google search will find you more. Nearby Kingston and New Paltz also have motels and hotels.

AIR BNB:

Here is a link to air bnbs in the area

Bed and Breakfasts:

The 1850s House

The Arbor BNB

Camping:

Creekview Campsites

Weaving the Basket

The techniques in focus: Random weave, Twining, and More

Random weave is one of my absolute favorites. While it is called ‘random’ there is really a lot of technique and strategy involved in creating a solid and well-balanced basket with it. It is perfect for vines and longer materials and for incorporating fun found materials. We will begin with the basics of creating a round shape on day one and then experiment from there!

What does a day of basketry look like?

To see some examples of baskets and student experiences from single day workshops check out the blog posts below or visit my current/past workshops page. There is such an amazing array of students that take my classes and I’m always impressed with the creativity and individuality that comes out when a person sits down and allows themselves the time to make something beautiful with their hands.