Nancy Kochli
Inspired by the beauty of rural living, I combine both form and function in the baskets I create. I seek to elevate the commonplace basket to an art form.
I enjoy weaving organic forms. I use a continuous twill weave to achieve rhythm in many of my baskets. In the winter, I gather grapevine and honeysuckle in the woods, boil it to remove the outer bark, and form it to fit the basket, using it as both the rim and handle.
In my functional baskets, I emphasize simplicity of form with function. Using both twill and plain weaves, with minimal color, I hope to create useful baskets that can stand alone as art pieces. Keeping the weave simple allows me to introduce color, without overwhelming the piece.
I grow basketry willow in my garden. As a life-long learner, I am studying the time-honored skill of weaving baskets from willow. Willow baskets are extremely sturdy and possess an earthy, rugged quality.
My goal is to create baskets that are both beautiful in form and function. I want to produce pieces with understated elegance that reflect the solitude and stillness of my gardens and my new studio.
Studio 7
