Paint Box Colors

At the end of February I'll be exhibiting a new collection of baskets in Florida, at the Palm Beach Fine Craft Show. Often people don't see or consider what happens before artwork can begin. Colors need to be chosen, the reed needs to be cut, then it can be dyed. Often the colors inspire color combinations, then patterns and a form evolve. Sometimes a complete idea emerges, but often changes are made as the basket comes to life.

The Connecticut landscape is muted and the temperatures are often frigid. In the winter, weaving with color is my way to celebrate being an artist. (In the summer, I garden with plants and flowers.)

 

I've been mixing my own colors and saving the dye recipes since I began weaving 40 years ago. I use old recipes as they are or as starting points for new or subtle variations.

A collection of cut and dyed "hairy" pieces. 

Laying out a priliminary color scheme.

I create the "hairy" texture by placing one short piece of reed behind each upright spoke. As I work up the side of the basket, I plan where the colors will be. (Often I need to take out a few rows and replace colors when I see how the colors work with each other.)

By seeing how tall the basket will be, I'm better able to visualize the overall design.

The inner rim was woven to imply weight and to create a sense of mystery. The inside pattern appears where the "hairy" pieces were placed behind each spoke. Encaustic medium (a mixture of bees wax and demar resin) is applied to the finished basket creating a rich sheen and a protective coating.

As the basket is turned, the color combinations change and a painterly effect is created. The finished basket entitled "Paint Box," measures 10.25" x 14.5."

Baskets Share NBO's Cover with Rainbow Carrots

The National Basketry Organization's Quarterly Review is out. Their president, and fellow basketmaker, Lois Russell, wrote a great article about my home and work, with an unusual slant. In line with NBO's purpose "to promote the art, skill, heritage and education of traditional and contemporary basketry," Lois wrote about how basketry is only a part of my life. We talked about how nature, travel, and photography also have a role and significance in how I approach my work. Seeing the architecture in plants and how I view details through a camera lens, also feed into my creative process. She quoted me as saying, "It is all about paying attention ... [and] noticing the little things that get you excited." 

The article is loaded with basket photographs and includes a peek inside my greenhouse where I do the encaustic. Since the greenhouse had an exhaust system to draw out excess hot air, it provided an appropriate, ventilated space in which to work with the wax fumes. The photo shows the skillet in which I melt the encaustic, a combination of bees wax and damar resin, the brushes I use to apply the molten medium to my work, and the heat gun used to melt the wax/resin into the reed.

   

I spend a lot of time in the garden with Emma (in the photo below) and Kitt, the Cat, paying attention to colors and textures. Another source of basket inspiration is viewing and editing photographs on Instagram using online photo applications where I can experiment with color combinations. The basket in the lower left, is a result of one such experiment.  

  

A client sent me a grey and orange tile to suggest colors for a custom set of baskets. I worked on a series of dye lots for her, then wove the pair of baskets shown below.

Finally, on the right, is information about a workshop I'll be giving at the North Country Studio Workshop (NCSW), in Bennington, VT at the end of January 2014. In this class students will be encouraged to experiment and take their basketry beyond strictly functional vessel forms. NCSW is offering 13, 5-day workshops in various media taught by nationally recognized craft and fine art professionals in a range of media. You can go to their website for more information.

 

To see my work in person, I'll be exhibiting in 2 juried craft shows this fall. The Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show will be open November 6-10, and CraftBoston will be December 6-8. I hope to see you at one of these shows. You can see the work I'll be bringing on my website: karilonning.com.

July Double-Wall

In this basket I've used encaustic medium (a combination of wax and resin) melted into the surface of the basket which adds a richer look to the color, actual strength and a more tactile feel to the basket. The basket doesn't have a flat bottom (on purpose) so it will sit slightly off center. The outer basket has a gentle bowl form. Just before joining the inside and outside baskets together at the outer edge, I inserted glass marbles, which will roll around inside adding sound and weight to the basket, as it is handled.