Elise Thornton - GUEST ARTIST - STUDIO #6

Elise Thornton creates Woven Willow and Bark Baskets. As a full-time basket maker, she has made it her mission to promote the craft of basketry by doing demonstrations where she sells her work. This gives her opportunities to educate people about the craft. All baskets are hand made and she harvests many materials in fields, woods, and ditches. 

ARTIST STATEMENT

I’ve been involved in art and craft all my life trying different mediums and enjoying working and creating things with my hands. When I took my first basket class everything else, I did was abandoned. This was what I was meant to do!       

I started out working with imported reed and worked with that for several years. When I learned I could grow willow and wild harvest it in my area. I took classes to learn all I could about willow work.              

Thirty years ago, I started a patch of willow and grew ten varieties of basket willow each one giving me a different color to work with.  A large part of my work is the harvesting and processing of my materials. I love being out in the woods and fields gathering.  I’ve learned (and am still learning) to work with other natural materials roots, barks and grasses. I continue to take classes every year learning techniques from basket makers across the country and around the world.