Twining Texture : A Natural Fiber Basket
with Kathleen Kanas
September 9-10 | 10:00am-2:00pm
Tuition $125 | Materials fee $25
Hoffman Center for the Arts
The Hoffman Center follows the current CDC, State of Oregon and
City of Manzanita Covid guidelines for all in-person workshops and events.
Participants will use the technique of twining to weave a basket using a variety of highly textural natural materials. Start to finish, guided by visual samples and instructor tips, twining fibers with design in mind will be emphasized. Completed baskets will measure approximately 7” high, with a 7” base and circumference of 28”- 30”. Weaving with natural materials that have irregularities can be challenging but results are exciting. The first day will cover the basics of twining, understanding the first steps to construction, and completing the base and starting the upturned sides. Day two is a continuation of the sides developing the patterns and finishing off with a fringed rim. Embellishing the basket with special touches such as pods, beads, or other special objects can be applied as a final step.
About the Artist
It began when a grade school art activity turned out to be a life-long creative experience . I have been weaving baskets for over fifty-five years and still find great satisfaction in the process and outcome. There was an earlier time when few references related to basket weaving existed, and I relied on trial and error as I explored which types of plant materials could be woven, coiled, or twined. In later years, when I needed further instruction I found myself in workshops led by notables such as Frances James, Anna Jefferson, Bruce Miller and Margaret Matthewson. From rattan to roots to bark to kelp, nature has provided an amazing number of fibers that I incorporate in my work to create utilitarian containers with specific uses to some that are purely sculptural forms.
I have held various basketry workshops for adults and for twenty-five years taught classrooms of children how to weave a basket. My work is in private collections, has received recognition in shows, and was a featured artist on a PBS Oregon Art Beat episode in 2009. For the past year, I have been designing hand-built ceramic forms in combination with woven elements. It has proven to be a new and exciting process combining two ancient cultural technologies.
My work is found exclusively at the 4th Street Studio and Gallery in Manzanita, Oregon which I own and operate. Both my baskets and ceramic work can be seen there along with other talented local artists’ work.
View Kathleen’s work here
Twining Texture : A Natural Fiber Basket
