Weaving a Story with Donna Crispin...

Sometimes a story is woven right into a piece of art. A story of creativity. A story of artistry. A story of history. A story of inspiration. Receiving inspiration and weaving materials from the natural world, Donna Crispin has been creating baskets since 1986. She has lived in some of the most beautiful places of the western US, where she has seen and experienced the lessons of the earth. Although she is now living in an urban area, her pieces often reveal the spiritual and physical connection she has developed over decades of time.

We are delighted to have a guest post from Donna today, who will be teaching at our Portland, Oregon Art & Soul... coming up very soon! She is going to share with us a little bit about her longtime passion. So... take it away, Donna...

Basketry and fiber arts have been my passion for over 27 years now. Since my focus is on basket weaving, I'm also interested in other cultures, and how people have used plants to make baskets, textiles, paper, and more. I'm always learning techniques and finding new plants to weave with. Last spring, I was introduced to basswood fiber by a farmer in a nearby town, and later found out that it is also spun and woven to make a traditional Japanese textile, called shina-fu. So I feel like I'm on a constant learning adventure.

My newest interest is Japanese paper yarn and cord making, or shifu and koyori.  Washi paper is cut into a continuous strip, sometimes 2mm wide, then roughened up a bit, and spun.

I recently found a photo of a lovely old kimono with a repeating circular pattern. 

 

I decided to make some woven slippers with a similar design.  I purchased some Thai unryu paper, and painted my own circles on several sheets.

 

I cut the paper into a 1/2" continuous strip and spun it into cords to weave.

 

Then I constructed the soles, added the warp (vertical weaving elements), and wove two little shoes.

I hope that you will step out of your comfort zone at Art & Soul Retreat in Portland, OR, and join me as we explore weaving with seagrass and other plants in my Saturday workshop, or learn paper weaving with me in my Sunday class... 

Donna Crispin

Art & Soul Portland, Oregon

Saturday, April 12, 2014

The New Seagrass Basket 

    

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Spinning for Weaving, Basketry, Knitting, and other Fiber Arts  

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Wow, Donna... that was simply amazing! What a creative transformation of materials. I can see why there's only a few spots left in a couple of your classes. If you'd like more information about Donna's classes, simply click on the links above. And if you'd like to follow Donna's adventures, you can head on over to her Facebook Page and follow her there.