Sandi McNeil is getting her rocks in a row to choose the perfect base for her wire trees. If you want to see what they look like with a tree wrapped around them, visit her page on our site at https://victoriacountystudiotour.com/sandi-mcneil/ She, Carol Nichol and Janet McDougall welcome you to their studio.
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.
Braided cat tails, cherry red dog wood & woven tree bark – these are the materials used to weave baskets with Sandi McNeil of Earth and Vine.
Sandi leads workshops on basket weaving and wire tree sculpture making at a cozy studio space tucked away in the natural setting that is Kawartha Lakes. In the winter, warm cookies are served from atop the wooden stove that heats the studio. During the warmer months, when weather permits, workshops are held outside. Sandi encourages workshop participants to gather inspiration (and materials) from nature and there is no better place than Kawartha Lakes to do so.
Posted with permission by Kawarthas Northumberland on Wednesday, November 18, 2015
