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

Harbor Style Magazine April 2013

My baskets and a nice write up now on view at HARBOR STYLE MAGAZINE.   See the April issue on line on page 36-37.  View at http://www.harborstyle.com/

Shows & Demonstrations 2013

Many Shades of Grey

Basket Demonstrations by VSBW members weekly on Tuesday at Spanish Point, Osprey, FL Noon - 2:45 PM
Fabulous Art Boutique, Sarasota Art Center, Sarasota  Feb 17. 2013   11-3:00PM
Basket Exhibit , FOB Beads, Sarasota, FL  March 1-26, 2013    12-3:00 PM
Wild Child Gallery Demonstrations:  March 22 & 23 , March 29 & 30      10-4:30 PM

Stormbound Sunset

This basket of Muhly Grass is set on a stone called Bloodstone.  The deep greens are contrasted with the deep burnt orange with a touch of gold.  I have several of these stones and am amazed at the variations of color in each of them.  I had a difficult time naming this one, but settled on a vision of a storm coming over water at sunset.  There is a clear section in the base that allows light to pass through, very unusual for a solid colored stone.  The large pendants on the sides are also unusual.  They are called Dragon's Blood Jasper.  The stones are various shades of green with a lightning bolt of deep red.  The Jade beads add some interest to the bottom. You can view this basket and two other this month of February at the Cape Coral Art Studio, 4533 Coronado Parkway, Cape Coral, Florida. The "Simply the Best" show sponsored by the Southwest Florida Fine Craft Guild contains many fine pieces of art from glass, wood, fiber, and stone.

Approximate Size: 10 x 9 x 3 in
Price:   $400

Show Winner

"Sensuous Surf" won Third Place at the Winner's Circle Show sponsored by the Art Alliance of Southwest Florida.  The show is continuing until December 27, 2012 at 10091 McGregor Boulevard, Ft. Myers, Florida.  The show is an invitational which covers the winners of the nineteen member organizations' shows over the past 2 years.  The 4500 members of these smaller groups are very active in the southwest Florida area.  Read more about this piece in my blog entry of12/23/11.

Show Winner

"River Verde" won First Place and Best of Show at the recent Venetian Society of Basket Weavers Show in Venice,  Florida.  The basket exhibit at the Visual Art Center is a favorite of many in the area.  For more information, see my post of 12/24/11 of this basket.