Rae Hunter - Basket Case

Rae Hunter,
Basket Case

... for gathered, natural materials.

Hello, I'm Rae Hunter of Sundogs and Northern Lights Studios. My baskets are off loom weaving where unrestricted shapes, materials and techniques focus on a notion of a vessel and sculptural forms. A restrictive definition of a basket is that it must be a container - to accommodate this, I ask you to consider that all my forms contain air. I would like to think that if any of these pieces are put back into the wild they will feel at home and eventually return to the earth. My work is a combination of personal expression always guided by the material. I am intrigued with shape, texture and recently the patterns and play of light on and through materials.

Functional Baskets

I learned to make my first willow baskets from two Ukranian gentlemen, Mr. Tymchuk and Mr. Chilkowich, in 1978. They were melon baskets. I taught this same basket six months later at the John Janzen Nature Center. My students' baskets were better than mine, however, I became aware that I was good at relaying information. I have been teaching ever since. This bassinet is an adaptation of the melon basket. It was made for my first great granddaughter.

To see more of my functional baskets, click here.

Contemporary Baskets

Not straying too far away from the melon basket, I began exploring other materials and altering the shape a bit. (To be truthful, I was getting bored with the melon basket.) It was with the benefit of the Exploration grant from Canada Council and Alberta Foundation for the Arts I was able to research materials for basketry in Alberta. These materials led me to find new techniques to suit their nature. This basket is made of willow, rushes, cattail and antler, embellished with wild cucumber pod.
To see more of my contemporary baskets, click here.

Sculptural Forms

It wasn't long before the materials I gathered took hold of my imagination and changed my definition of a basket. Natural materials have a definite mind of their own. Quite often I would have a specific shape in mind, only to find the material knew better. The compromise was usually acceptable and pleasing. This "basket" rests in the Rocky Mountains at the beautiful Baker Creek Resort. It was made of dry tree root, willow and bark.

To see more of my sculptural forms, click here.

The melon basket still has a hold on me so I have published a Willow Melon Basket Manual. The manual is suitable as a guide for teaching or to make your own basket. For more information about it, have a look at the picture index.
And for a little more about me, check out 'Meet the Artist'

Functional Baskets
Contemporary Baskets
Sculptural Forms
Meet the Artist

Willow Melon Basket Manual
Send me Email
Basketry Links

My partner in Sundogs and Northern Lights builds rustic willow furniture and constructs inuksuit. If this bent willow loveseat intrigue's you, stop by David's page to see more of his work.