Basketry and varied weaving techniques

The works presented are, by presumption and by choice, a materialistic extension of my psyche. My pieces are executed directly and very personally. Being a "tactile" person, I enjoy the direct contact of touch and feel with materials as I create. I dream in color. Because of my heritage, (my Father was a builder of buildings and I was born under the sign of the 2" x 4"), I inherently tend to think in the "round". These factors, combined with other traits, past experiences and my education, dictate to me, sensibilities that encompass the manipulations of Basketry.\ud Basketry, the earliest form of weaving, was common to primitive and tribal peoples throughout the world. Their baskets were created for utilitarian purposes and survival; they had to do with the mysteries of birth, life and death. Natural grasses and fibers, indigenous to their geographical regions, (reed, willow, seagrass, rush, raffia, etc.) were used for construction. Feather, hair, bone, beads, shells and natural dyes were often added for embellishment. Research of these cultures, promotes a quickening of insight and a feeling of kinship to their creativity. A study of basketry and its history opens doorways to the exploration of all other fiber traditions. My personal discovery of the basket, the mask, batik, varied looms, Peruvian weaving and all the other ramifications of the exploration became an inspiration for me.\ud My work evolves from the excitement I experience as I assess the unlimited scope of fiber. Touching is a part of seeing, and as I "touch'', I realize that fiber is a media through which I can fulfill my need for self-expression. It provides an ???open-end" for concept, composition and involvement with construction. Through research, study, practice and patience, I eventually became proficient in the arts of weaving, coiling, twining, netting and other fiber techniques which I incorporate into my work with meaning and focus. (See more in text