When spring and summer come around, I always feel drawn to using colour in my baskets. The world around me is like a painting in progress, with splashes of colour being added each day. A flower coming into bloom, a tree that stood with bare branches for months suddenly transformed by its beautiful leaves and each leaf and petal catching the light and shadow, to create a dazzling display.
The coasts colours change too. The moody greys and inky blues of winter are replaced with bright flashes of turquoise and deep teals, the sand brightens as it dries out in the hot sunshine and the yellows, blues and pinks of the wildflowers creep over the dunes and fill every rocky crevice.
Little wonder then, that I feel excited at the prospect of playing with colour, mimicking the seasons as my baskets drift from the quiet natural tones of winter, into the vibrant, playful colours of summer.
That sense of playfulness has a knock on effect too. My designs also become more playful, with little surprises on the undersides of cocooned treasures and interesting forms appearing in my baskets. I really feel like every part of me is waking up, renewed and refreshed and wanting to explore.
Working on some little basketry vessels has been a particular delight for me this month. I have always loved ceramics and being able to explore form in a way that I might if I was using clay, but with the fibres that I know and love, makes me happy.
I think its so important to make things that you feel connected to, that really are an expression of a part of yourself and your reaction to the world around you.
If anyone wanted my advice when starting out in basketry, that would be what I wanted to tell them. Don’t be afraid to let yourself show in your work.
I think that there will be a lot more of these little vessels coming along this year. I like to make pieces that ask to be picked up, that want to be interacted with and to me these little ones have plenty of potential there. They can be enjoyed just as much when they’re upside down or on their side and something that I’m particularly keen to explore further is their stackability.
A tower of little baskets that can be rearranged or enjoyed individually as well, appeals to the child in me!
My new collection of colouful pieces will be available in my shop from Friday 23rd May at 8pm (UK time).
June looks like being a very busy month, with new courses to film and I will be busy making baskets to take to a rather exciting craft fair, for the first time. More on that soon.
