Marbeled Mesa

I have an urge once in awhile to do something different.  This is a two part basket.  It starts with woven palm inflorescence.  This is the part of a palm that creates the seeds rather than a green frond.  After drying several months it can be soaked in water to make it pliable and then woven.  I create a base then add pine needles or Muhly Grass or in this case both!  It's a double wall.  Decorating the outside is the real change for me.  The pendant is called Marbled Jasper which is surrounded by Partridge feathers, Carrot Wood seeds, palm seeds, and Red Jasper beads.  I sometimes put a bowl in the basket and add water and flowers.  It makes a festive centerpiece.  This basket is presently at Creations Gallery in Punt Gorda, FL.

Approximate Size:  6 x 6 x 3 inches

Turquoise Reflections

I tried to take a different background on this picture to try to make the Turquoise stand out.  This Turquoise base has beautiful lines of gold running through it.  It's a stone you just want to caress.  The small Turquoise beads of the base start a swirl that culminates on the outside.  This is a small basket, but distinctive.  It can be seen at Creations Gallery in Punta Gorda, FL.

Approximate Size:  8 x 7 x 3.5 inches

Rubies in Sherwood Forest

You can see by the background this picture was taken outside, actually on my sister's deck near the shores of Lake Ontario in New York.  I made this while visiting my family in July.  This beautiful green base is Zoisite which also contains very visible chunks of Ruby and Emerald.  The unusual shape of the stone leads to a triangular shape of the finished basket.   The large emerald cut Russian Jade pendants predominate the sides against a natural tone of Muhly Grass and natural and green waxed linen thread.  This basket can be seen in the Artisans' Loft of Pultneyville, New York.

Approximate Size:  10 x 9 x 4 inches

River of Chocolate

In this basket I used an unusual stone called Biggs Jasper from Oklahoma.   It actually looks like molten milk chocolate.  The two tone fiber starts with coiled pine needles, then fades into the Muhly Grass from my grass garden, then back to pine needles.  The pendants on the sides look like the chocolate Easter eggs I received as a child.  Guess what?  They are called Chocolate Jasper!  How appropriate.  Some small Jasper beads help finish the rounding of the coil.

Approximate Size:  10 x 8 x 4 inches

Historical Center of Sarasota

The Bidwell House on 1260 12th Street in Sarasota  at Pioneer Park will be the home of monthly art and information classes.  I will be teaching a beginning pine needle class on January 22, February 26, and March 26, 2014.  Come join me or one of the other classes offered in the Sarasota area. Sit on the porch and have some fun.  Go to the following website and check out all the chances to learn something new.  Or call 941-364-9076 Monday - Friday 10 AM - 2PM.
http://hsosc.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/classes-schedule.pdf

Precipice

When I purchase a stone for the base of a basket I look for something different and distinctive.  This Butterfly Jasper is one of the more distinctive pieces.  The stone has such depth with colors of green and brown.  I took a trip o to Norway and I remember being a very high lookout on top of a fiord and looking down at the valley far below.  That's what this base resembles:  snow topped glacier flowing water into a green valley.  The Prehnite pendants on the sides are like amber in that they are translucent and have shades of gold and green with darker black specks resembling insects.  I put in some small citrine beads in the upper edge.  The pendants are sized differently so the coiling of my Muhly Grass does not necessarily come out even in the end.  Hence the addition of the citrine nuggets.  Lots of subdued color in this basket.  It was also entered in the Dimensions in Art show at Naples in September.

Approximate Size:11 x 9 x 4 inches

Love in Stone

This basket was a long time in planning.  The stunning Rhodocrosite base was so appealing when I purchased the stone.  It was difficult to decide what pendants to use with it.  It wasn't until almost two years later than I came across some Rhodocrosite beads at a bead show.  It's not the the beads are so rare, it's they are so expensive!  The Rhodocrosite stone is known as the Love Stone, consequently the name. The Muhly Grass that I grow just adds a nice creamy tone to the whole basket.  In September - October 6 it can be seen at the Von Liebig Art Center in Naples, FL.  The Southwest Florida Fine Craft Guild is sponsoring a show.  The Art Center's directors were very enthused over our show and we hope we will be able to do another show there in the near future.

Approximate Size: 9 x 8 x 3 in