The fascinating thing about art is finding out the process of making the lovely things you see. Sandi McNeil shows us how she prepares the materials she uses from wood she finds.
Image #1 – July is the time of year for gathering and processing basswood bark. Four trees waiting to be peeled.
Image #2 – Trees after peeling them, tools used, waste tree/bark material and coiled basswood bark ready to use.
Image #3 – Cut and coiled. Basswood outer bark is grey in colour while basswood inner bark is blonde in colour. (Sandi says it will go grey if left outside)
Archive for basketry
Sandi McNeil has just completed beautiful Basswood tables topped with pottery tiles by Janet McDougall. These collaborative pieces are always popular on the Victoria County Studio Tour. vcstudiotour.com.
basswood tables
paper being prepared
Labels are a necessary thing. Most items we buy come with some sort of a label, and art is no exception. Of course the price of the art is important, and that is often the first thing people look for when they look at the label. But in addition to the price, artists are often asked to include other information on their labels. Sometimes this can be confusing for the potential buyer. Other information usually refers to things such as; the artist’s name, an assigned code using artist initials, an inventory number, a title, dimensions, and materials or medium used to create each piece. Of course all that information needs to be presented in a neat, easily readable manner.
Ya right. No problem. The most common issue is distinguishing between the price and the inventory number, even though one starts with a $ symbol while the other starts with a # symbol.
Removable stickers are very helpful and allow for changes to codes and inventory numbers as art is shown at different venues.
The very first time I did a show, all my baskets had open faced labels with individualized information printed on each label. I was very proud of all the work I had accomplished, including
each label tied to each basket. During that day it rained, only very briefly, but long enough to get the labels wet. All the ink ran and the print became unreadable. I was so disappointed. I knew I had to replace all my labels with something that would provide some resistance to rain.
the cutting process
So back to the drawing board….What if I made folded covers for my labels out of fake parchment paper? The parchment paper would keep the information on the inside dry, and it could withstand a bit of rain without being ruined. Inside the folded covers, I could attach my business card, and include another folded paper insert that had all the information that is usually requested. Finally, each label could attached to the art using recycled telephone wire. So that’s what I did and it works!
When I make the parchment paper, I like to include dried silver dollars and the seeds from the silver dollar plant. I make the paper in the summer when it is warm enough to work on large tables in the garage. I use a lot of white glue in the process, and summer temperatures allow it to dry in a few days. After the glue has dried, the parchment paper needs another warm day to soften it before cutting it into size and then folding it in half. I use a large paper cutter to cut the parchment paper and paper inserts.
It takes me a lot of time to create the labels for my art, but some people tell me that they like the label so much, and they want to keep the information it contains, so they leave the label attached to their basket. That makes all the work worthwhile for me!
Yes, labels are a lot of work but labels are a necessary thing.
finished product
This past winter I had a most unfortunate experience while dog-sledding. While on a rest break, my dogs reacted to a red squirrel and before I could find my brake, I found a small tree. After a very brief, violent encounter with the tree, both my hands and wrists were mangled, bruised and bleeding. After a visit to Minden Hospital, I came home with ten stitches across the back of my left hand. My right hand escaped stitches but was cut and bruised. I looked like I had Frankenstein hands! This was not good. I need my hands for basket weaving!
Sandi with Dogwood
I cut and gather and process natural materials all year round so that I can leisurely weave baskets as the snow flies and the wood stove burns. Now I wasn’t able to use my hands, so there was no basket weaving happening for a month and a half! Not to mention, no more dog sledding or cross country skiing.
Once I could use my hands again, the pressure was on to race against Mother Nature. I use fresh dogwood and willow, and the warming spring temperatures were quickly closing my window of time before pussy willows and leaves would start to emerge.
Forget about the leisurely weaving! Now I was weaving baskets as quickly as I could, all day long, and Mother Nature was cooperating, keeping the temperatures cool enough that my dogwood and willow were not drying out. As long as I had fresh materials, I could continue weaving. The last few baskets I made actually had willow that was trying to sprout their flowers.
Dog Sled Team
The baskets I make in the winter represents my stock for the rest of the year so I was happy that my season was extended with a cold wintery spring! My right hand has fully recovered and my left hand bears the scar of impact and I will probably always have a wonky ring finger. But I can still weave baskets. Of course I’m not very fond of red squirrels anymore and I will be wiser when I resume dog-sledding next winter.
Spring is always a busy time of year, and in my basket weaving life it is even busier! All winter long I gather willow and vines, and soak many, many yards of bark, before happily constructing a large variety of spoked baskets. Once Spring arrives, I start to notice changes in the materials that I gather and use all winter. The willows sport pussy willows, quickly followed by leaves. The dogwood loses its lovely red colour, and the outside temperature starts getting pleasantly warmer. These are all signs that its time to put my basket weaving on hold and start to plan my once yearly, cedar bark gathering.
The arrival of spring means that it is time for me to refocus, and put my energy and time into replenishing my stock of cedar bark. Cedar bark can only be gathered during a short window of time anywhere from late April to late May. During this time, the sap is running in the bark, but it is not yet sticky. Sticky bark is hard to peel and separate, and who wants a sticky basket? This window of time is dependent on the warming temperatures of spring, so every year it is a guessing game to determine when to start peeling.
peeled bark
This year I have plans to make some trails on my property suitable for dog-sledding, and several cedars are in the way. If I don’t cut them down this spring and harvest the bark, those trees will be knocked down later this summer, and by then the bark will no longer be useful for basket making. So, I have been very busy cutting down and peeling cedar trees. This year I have the luxury of more time to spend gathering bark. I have been able to peel the bark from the tree and then immediately remove the outer bark from the inner bark while the bark is still moist and flexible. The outer bark is not useful, but the inner bark is well worth the time spent to gather and process it. Cedar bark peels off the tree in a lengthwise direction. When first peeled, the inner bark is a creamy white colour and feels wet and slippery, but not sticky. I remove the outer bark and coil each strip of inner bark and tuck in the ends to contain the coil. I then bundle the coils together and hang the bundle to dry in my studio. As it slowly dries out, the bark turns a golden honey colour, and becomes stiff and inflexible. In this state it can be stored in my studio for many years until I’m ready to use it.
peeling
In the process of gathering cedar bark I cut down the entire tree. However I use different parts of the tree for different purposes, and nothing is wasted. After cutting down the cedar tree, I cut all the limbs off, leaving a short stub on the trunk so the bark will lift off more easily. The peeled trunk is put aside and is used for landscaping, bridge building and kindling wood. The cedar bark that I peel off, is processed into weavers, and is one of my favourite materials to use for basket weaving. Large branches and small diameter trunks form the legs for twig furniture. Smaller branches are put to one side and are also used in twig furniture. This year however, I found a new use for the small cedar branches that I haven’t thought of before! I love it when I get a new idea that I am pretty certain will work out successfully. I don’t know why I haven’t thought of this idea before!!
In the past, I have often peeled vines and used them for basket frames. I have peeled basswood branches for wall weavings. I almost always include peeled willow and peeled dogwood in my baskets, but I have never peeled cedar branches with the intent of making a basket frame. Impulsively, I decided to peel a pair of small cedar branches, exposing the creamy coloured wood that I knew was underneath. Then I carefully bent and flexed
cedar branches
the cedar branch over my knee so it would bend to form a fish basket shape without breaking. This worked well because the branches were so fresh, so I made several fish basket shapes and wired each pair together. I have set these frames aside in my studio to let them dry out. If I keep them out of the weather they should slowly age to a yellowish patina.
I will use the peeled cedar frames in my basket courses this summer, and I look forward to using them myself to add to my basket repertoire.
Winter Rhythms:
Vines
I start with gathering vines. Gathering vine is always an adventure because sometimes the vine doesn’t want to let go of the tree. This is when it’s helpful to bring a strong friend. In fact there have been times when we have pulled down the tree in the process of pulling on the vine. In extreme cases for exceptionally large vines, a truck with 4 wheel drive and a long cable is necessary. Another extreme method is to chainsaw the tree down, carefully remove the vine, and then cut up the tree for fire wood. Once I have the vine at home I trim off any dead growth, or vine that is too thin to use. I spread the vines out on the ground and take notice of the kinds of shapes that are in the vines. Some would say that I let the vines speak to me. Often I will work from big to small when choosing which vine to work with. As I decide the shape of the basket frames, I tie the frames together as I go. If some vine is particularly wonky, I put the basket frame under something heavy to flatten it out and make it more symmetrical. I typically leave the frame for several weeks (or more) to dry out somewhat before I weave on it. I continue to work on vines for several days, until all the gathered vines have been used to form frames for different kinds of baskets. I stack the frames in the garage to dry out until I’m ready for the next steps.
Sandi gathering grapevine for basket frames
Winter Rhythms
When winter arrives and most people start to hibernate, I go into high gear basket making! I create my own rhythms for winter which is unlike any other season. My time is split between the different steps for basket making, and outdoor fun with my two Siberian huskies.
During spring, summer and fall there is a different rhythm. I gather and process different kinds of bark, cut and dry local plant life, harvest plants from my gardens, make yards and yards of different kinds cordage, and patiently wait for winter to begin. I love winter.
Once winter begins and the leaves are off, vines are easier to pull out of the trees and I don’t have to spend time removing the leaves. When the frost hits the dogwood and willow, their leaves also fall off, and the colour of the willow does not change after being cut. Dogwood likes the frost and becomes a brighter red making its location easy to find. The temperature drops and my huskies get frisky. It’s time to think about balancing assembling baskets and dogsledding. I love winter!
Earth and Vine Series
It is always exciting to try something new…….. I often have too many projects going on at once. Sandi and I have collaborated in the past on a number of projects such as our Twig and Tile tables and some garden installations. We have chatted about trying to incorporate grapevine, bittersweet vine or cedar into my pottery but until this year it has just been talk. So we decided to get busy.
I started with making some pots trying to keeping in mind where I thought the vine or root would be attached. I wanted to have a variety of shapes and sizes of pots to play with so we could see what we thought worked best once they were completed – just in case we wanted to do more! With this in mind, I threw some open bowls and vases and also did some hand-building, both slab and coil work. At the leather-hard stage, I added some holes for lashing on various vines. Once my pots were bisque fired, I selected some glazes that I thought would complement the natural materials to be attached. After glazing and firing, we were ready to start.
Sandi raided her studio for vine, cordage she had made, cedar bark and some great twisty roots she had collected. We were ready to have some fun creating. It was a learning process for both of us. Below are some pictures that give some idea about the process and the final product. Click on the images for more detail. Some larger pieces are in process now and I am excited to see how they turn out.
