The Summer Palace, by Patrick Dougherty

This 25 foot sculpture was built on the grounds of the Morris Arboretum in April of 2009. Partick Doughtery worked with 75 volunteers over a 19 day period. They used locally gathered materials: willow, dogwood, maple and birch. (No nails or hardware were used.)

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It was very humbling to walk into something so structurally strong which felt like it had been woven by a bird (ie. as in bird's nest).

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The third photo is looking through one of the outer walls into an inner chamber. I noticed a few of the willow branches had started to grow and had sent out leaves. How amazing it would be to weave a home and then have the whole thing take root and grow!

I went to the woods to weave

Last Sunday I went to a social media "tweetup" with David Mathison aka @BeTheMedia. After lots of talk and a latte, Emma and I retreated to the woods to regroup. I needed time to think about the information and to consider the possibilities. We sat in the sun and I wove a wreath using Aspen leaves. (Maple leaves with all their beautiful colors work well in wreaths, but they dry out and become fragile much faster than the Aspen leaves.) A few days later I went back and collected a more leaves and created a spiral turning back on it's self. Here is a photo of the finished spiral.

Google Satellite Photo as Inspiration

This is an only-minimally-enhanced satellite photo. It represents about 1.3 miles of cultivated fields and rocky outcroppings out in Montana. The geometry and sense of open space for a New Englander, who is used to trees and construction, inspired awe. About the same time I looked at this, I learned about the plight of the wild mustangs and I fantasized about buying up canyon lands for them to roam free on. The basket "Protecting Wide Open Spaces" was inspired by these thoughts. Here is a postcard I am working on where I've combined this landscape with the basket.

Fig Forms for the Fuller

While getting ready for the Westchester Craft Fair, I wove a basket whose inside interested me as much as the outside. The basket was woven using my "hairy" technique where short pieces of rattan are individually bent, then placed behind each spoke as I weave. In the above photo, each time a blue, orange, yellow, natural or chartreuse reed appears on the inside two short ends stick out on the outside. It's a time intensive process, but the blending of hairy pieces on the outside can be subtle and wonderful. Here though, I started thinking about what I could do with the surface of a basket if in effect, the basket were woven inside out, ie. if the hairy pieces pointed to the inside and the smooth surface you see above were on the outside. (For the commission, I have been concerned that an all-over hairy piece might not stand up as well as it should in the long run.)

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In addition to having a less vulnerable outer surface, having all the ends on the inside would give me the ability to weave complex blocks of color without the usual problem of having to secure all the ends. I could either design a basket where the viewer could look into the basket and see all the texture OR ... focus on the complex color changes on the outside. Years ago I wove an open bowl with all the hairy on the inside, but the focus was still on the texture, not on the smooth color changes that occurred on the outside. I'm now interested in the smooth surface, on the outside.

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The "figs" would be closed forms. People wouldn't be able to see inside. The bent hairy pieces would create a pattern on the outside. If these pieces were 3-4 feet, the added weight of all the inside hairy pieces would add to a sense of mass, which could help stablilize the two .... though, I might have to weave something heavy inside the basket ... these are all still just thoughts.

Inspiration

As I was working on my taxes a few days ago I had this book opened in front of me. It is from the exhibition, "Detour" at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC. The theme of the book is places where travelers could stop along a particularly scenic route in Norway. The stops would be conceived of and built by prominent architects. The architects involved with this one in Lofoten were Snødalle As. When starting to put colors together for the next basket. I realized that I was being drawn to the cool neutral colors in this photograph, Also, instead of weaving a closed form, I've been enjoying the wide open central area of this space. Here are the bits of color I will be using.

Touched By Design

The Touched by Design Salon show is finished. The weather was almost too good all weekend. Attendance was down from last year, but the quality of those who came made up for that! Philippe Rayer of Croton-on-Hudson, NY catered the event. (There was smoked trout and escargot and ...more!) I sold a few baskets, was asked to make a tiny basket, for a miniatures collection and, I was surrounded by French, Scottish, Indian, Swiss, and Slovenian accents. It was much more fun than doing a craft fair with a hundred other artists. For more information on the four other artists click on this link.

A Field of Baskets, or Baskets as a Garden ...

I'm working on ideas for the Fuller Craft Museum commission. The ideas are coming faster than I can write so I'm going off line to concentrate. I'll be back later today - to tell about the idea on the left and the ones still in my head, but in the meantime maybe this will entice you to return. (The basket on the right shows what the spokes left unwoven looks like, rising up from the top edge of the basket.) The idea on the left may or may not be woven with the "hairy" technique ... Please click here, to read what I posted.

A Free-Standing, Stacked Basket

While talking to a friend about the Fuller Craft Museum Commision, I started doodling. The idea of weaving individual baskets which would be stacked on top of eachother - like stringing beads - came to me. If you can imagine COMPLETELY changing the scale, from beads or desktop-baskets to something approaching people size, the statement becomes more sculptural and less "basket-like." There are technical issues which will need resolving once it gets past a certain size. Whether I make this full size or not, I look forward to weaving a mock-up.

A week on an island off the coast of Norway

The rock is pink granite, it is worn smooth by the crashing waves.

This view is on the far side of the island, facing the ocean. Denmark would be off to the right and far across the sea. It's hard to describe the not-so-quiet magic of a place which is composed of water-tossed rock and sturdy heather. Being in the midst of such natural beauty puts the concerns of commercialism and competition in a distant perspective.

Color and Textures in Norway

I spent the first week of August week in the mountains southeast of Tronheim, Norway. Then we took the train to Oslo and later drove down the coast to the island.

Imagine this as the driveway leading up to your house - beautiful isn't it? This was what we saw as we approached the cabins. It's a 45 minute hike up the mountain from the logging road where we left the car. The group of buildings was built by my grandfather and another man 80 years ago. There was no electricity, or indoor plumbing. We cooked on an iron stove and used candles and kerosene lamps for light in the evenings. It was heaven.

The cabins were built on a small rise just above where the evergreens stopped growing and the birch trees took over. Blueberries, cloudberries, orchids, and ferns grew in profusion. The subtle colors and textures took my breath away.