Classes at the VAC 2019-2020

Classes have been scheduled at the Visual Arts Center in Punta Gorda, FL. You can visit their website and sign up for these classes.  This is a small 3-4 in wreath which can be a hanging decoration or used as a pin to wear.  Decorate as you wish.  Class: Saturday, Nov 23.

Classes for this beginner bowl are scheduled for the following dates: 

January 25, 2020

February 29, 2020

March 28, 2020

This is a very popular class and we usually fill the 10 places in the class quickly.  This basket starts on a walnut slice and you choose your thread color.  You then sew the bundled pine needles provided in your kit and with written and verbal directions learn to stitch and shape pine needles into a basket.  Add our own decoration or use seeds provided in the kit.  Sign up at the website Visual Art Center, Punta Gorda, FL:  visualartcenter.org

Visit in Penfield, New York

I was invited to lunch with Harry Fisher, who is a resident of Penfield, New York.  Harry and his wife are snowbird residents of Estero, FL during the winter.  Last year Harry and his pine needle group came to chat and trade basket secrets while I was demonstrating at The Wild Child Gallery.  My sister whom I was visiting lives close by so we all got together in July for lunch at Harry's home. What a nice time we had talking about baskets.  Harry is an accomplished basket maker and teacher and I really appreciated his review of my baskets.  We have different styles and use different techniques so it's fun to do some comparisons!

Magical Mirrror

This is a new style for me.  I have been making smaller "lipstick" mirrors about 6 inches across.  One of my gallery owners, Teresa Vitale of Skaneatles Artisans in Skaneatles, New York, suggested I make some larger ones.  This beveled mirror is about 6 inches diameter and contains Florida Longleaf pine needles and my home grown Muhly Grass.  There are exposed heads of pine needles on the right side and Jasper beads on the left.  Decorations on the top contain: Jasper pendant, Jacaranda pod, 3 kinds of pine cones, star seeds, Arjun, Cotton pods.  This piece hangs flat on the wall.

Approximate Size: 12 X 12 inches

Apple Crisp

 One of our family's greatest loves in the fall is apple crisp, a bubbling apples, spices, and brown sugar topping.  The Upstate area around Syracuse to Rochester is filled with apple orchards.  That's what this agate base looks like to me.  This is a smaller sized basket and wide and shallow displaying the Pink Ocean Jasper beads and pendants.  As usual I used the wonderful Muhly Grass I grow and harvest and bind them all together with waxed linen thread.

Approximate Size: 10 X 8 X 2 inches

Love Your Eyes

This is one of those dreams that needed to be made but I had no idea if it would actually go together.  When weaving something with no directions and only a vision there is always the chance insurmountable problems might arise.  Luckily I didn't run out of beads!  There are 3 different size Feldspar beads in this basket which really accented this "eye" agate.  Eye agates have distinctive round formations and there are plenty of those.  The Long Leaf pine needles form a basket inside and the Muhly Grass that I grow and use form a basket on the outside.  The netting areas, called faggoting, are a lace making technique often used in early pine needle baskets.   This basket can be seen at Von Liebig Art Center in Naples from April 10-29, 2019.
Update: Second place winner in Water Water Everywhere (158 entries) at the Visual Ats Center in Punta Gorda in June 2019.

Approximate Size:  12 X 10 X 4 inches

Lost Sails

 I was working on this particular piece while I was demonstrating at the wild Child Gallery in Matlacha, Fl and received several remarks on the basket.  It is an unusual agate in the base for it has four different sedimentations. It has two cone shapes in the lower area that look like boats floating on a layered sea.  The upper half is the usual druzy area but also has an eye formation in the right corner.  The Muhly grass that I grow and use for my artwork is accented with Silver Hair agate beads.  I wove an area on the top edge that is reminiscent of a sail with a palm inflorescence boat. This area gives the piece lots of texture. This basket can be seen at Von Liebig Art Center in Naples, FL from April 10-29, 2019.

Appromiate Size:  11 X 11 X 4.5 inches

Demonstrating at Wild Child

This was taken March 7, 2019 at Wild Child gallery at Matlacha, FL.  It was one of my scheduled demonstration days.  This day, however, I needed to bring a new addition to the herd that was drinking from a bottle.  She is very small and just couldn't seem to connect with her mother so I am her source of food for the next two months.  The owner of the gallery, Peggy McTeague,  is very understanding and actually loves the added flare it brings to the patio.  Luckily her dog, Justabit, is ok with added wildlife to his area.  There was another dog, Rufus, there that day and not a problem occurred all day.  Not much demonstrating with baskets but lots of goat pictures were taken.  The following weekend Sorbet, the baby goat, attended the Peace River Art Fest and raised $150 for the Visual Arts Center Childrens' Program from having her picture taken with anyone willing to make a donation.  She is much happier to be running the pasture with her brother and other babies!