Basket-making process

Time is spent throughout the year gathering and preparing many of the natural materials she uses in her basketry and she continues to explore sculptural expression using an eclectic approach. Her explorative nature contributed to her use of a variety of materials including kelp, sea grass, pine needles, roots, grasses, willow, rushes, and cedar, cherry and birch barks.

Learning about early native cultures, the role habitat played in their daily existence and the utilitarian uses of baskets, transcended Kathleen into purely artistic expression. The old Navaho saying "She is weaving herself into the world," has given focus to her art, and since reading those words, Kathleen has captured that spirit on the product card that goes with each hand-crafted basket.

Raised in the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest appreciating its bounty has given Kathleen's basketry a unique emphasis. The pleasure of gathering materials from the environment, and satisfaction with an end product that is useful, as well as aesthetic, creates a personal interaction between Kathleen and her art.

Western Red Cedar

My most favored of weaving materials and a valuable resource to the Northwest Indians, Western Red Cedar was preeminent among the flora of this region for its variety of cultural uses. The tree is actually a species Cypress (Arbor Vitae) and its Latin name means "tree of life". It seems an appropriate title for its significance in the lives of the people.

For its use in basketry, the most valuable part is the fibrous inner layer. I follow a traditional method of "pulling" bark strips, harvesting in the spring when the sap flows. Strips up to twenty-five feet long can be broken or jerked off when they reach up towards the crown. The brittle outer bark is pulled or scraped off and the strips are further narrowed and the layers separated. The inner portion is light in color with a smooth leather-like texture. It will turn from orange to light brown as it ages for a year before it can be used for weaving. At that time, the bark strips will be moistened and cut into the final measurements for the basket form.

I use a variety of twining patterns, barks and grasses to create interesting designs and textures. Enjoy with me a reconnection with nature by bringing a cedar bark basket into your home.