About the Artist
| Basket weaving became my chosen art
about 15 years ago. A basket weaver friend showed me how to make an Appalachian egg
basket for a Christmas gift for my Mother. From that time on I have been essentially
self-taught. Learning from a few books, but mostly through trial and error. There
have been many nights that thoughts of basket designs have been in my head as I fell
asleep. My first baskets were traditional designs using only reed. It wasn't long before the natural materials abundant in the forest surrounding my home began to call out to me. I enjoyed the wild, abstract designs that the vines inspired. I then devised a way to use driftwood for the framework of many of my baskets. I knew then I was finding my own unque style of basket weaving. I enjoy the challenge of taking a few sticks of driftwood, some vines, and some colorful reed and turning them into a one of a kind basket. I also enjoy using the natural materials I gather to make traditional Appalachian melon baskets. Basket weaving is never ending. There are always new designs to try and new materials to gather and use in new ways. Janet Hechmer
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