Wild art

About this page
Wild art is a way of expressing yourself using natural material to make pictures, tools, household items or sculptures. I enjoy this as it is true soul food. Wild art is useful and creative and everything that you make will go back to nature...

Basket making

You will need:

• two long/thick willow branches (one slightly shorter than the other)

• six shorter/thinner willow branches (yet firm and strong)

• strong string or wool

• a sharpened knife

• weaving materials - willow bark/reeds/grasses/nettle fibres....etc......(the longer the better, these will also have to be dried - otherwise they go mouldy)

• bucket of warm water

Method:

soak your willow branches and weaving materials overnight in a bucket of warm water. Then Take one of  your two longer willow branches and gently bend until a circle is made then lash together with the wool/string. Take the next branch and do the same. Fit the smaller circle into the bigger one - lash them together to make a framework. This is what it should look like:



It does not matter if the lashing is unattractive but this next part matters more than anything.
If you scroll this page down you can learn how to do a god's eye pattern, This must be done on either end of your basket - where the lashing is. This must be tight and secure it must either  be done with the weaving materials or string/wool (For beginners I suggest string/wool). Do this up to step four on each side.

Once that has been done, you must twirl your weaving material around the next stick and into the last weave.
Now take your six thinner branches and bend them into the God's eye pattern - three on each side of the main structure pole.There is no lashing/tying needed in this step. If I have lost you, then just look at this picture - this is what it should end up looking like:



The framework is now finished.
Now you must weave in and out of the bottom half of your basket. Your weaving materials will shrink after they have dried so you must squeeze them together as much as possible. I used willow bark and reeds for this basket and it worked really well.



When you get to the end of a piece of weaving material just tuck it in on the inside of your basket and start with a new peice, as you weave these ends will not be noticed and you may cut them after your basket is finished. And don't worry if your basket is slightly uneven...







God's eye pattern

The God’s eye pattern originated in Bolivia. It was used to symbolize their God’s eyes looking over the house. They would often hang them on their walls and attach bells on the ends. Nowadays these are still made and are sold in the markets for tourists; this is to describe the way God watches over all people with a loving eye…

What you need:
 

• Two thin sticks or popsicle sticks
• Two or more skeins of wool 
• scissors
• A dab of Glue

o  

• Glue two sticks sticks together creating a + shape. Then tie one of your selected skeins of wool and tie it across the sticks in an x shape, pull the wool to the top right of the +. This is the first position.

• Take the wool over both north and west, then round the back of west, and then over south and round the back of south. Pull it tight remembering to direct the wool to the side of your last stitch…

• From there take the wool over east and round the back (always careful to place the wool at the side of the last stitch). You are now back in the first position again. Repeat step 2 -3 for a few more rounds. 

•  After that cut your wool and tie the end onto your other skein of wool - remember to keep this at the back so that it can’t be seen.  Now carry on from step 2-3. After a while you will see the god’s eye pattern emerging.

•  You will want to switch your wool a few more times to do this just see step 4. When you are about half an inch away from the end of your stick/popsicle stick you will need to tie off – here is how to do it…

Go around the next stick 

come back round to the front and pull the wool into the loop,

then pull more of the wool through the loop you just made, 

pull it tight and cut the wool ( leaving a tail), 

    
Tie a single knot in the side of the loop this will secure the loop.

   

  

You can hang your Gods eye decoration wherever you like.                           











Andy Goldsworthy Inspired...

Andy Goldsworthy is a British Photographer, Sculptor and environmentalist. He is very inspiring and I have enjoyed learning from him. My family and I were inspired by Andy Goldsworthy's Rivers and Tides to do our own woodland art. Here are some pictures of that day...

I did this artwork in a nearby wood and It is placed on a well used log which children often play with. It was ruined twice while I was making it but I think that the whole point of making it was for the learning process and experience not the finished product...




I decided to find different coloured leaves and put them together - I was hoping to give the effect of how the darkness of the winter changed into spring slowly but surely. I was trying to capture the process of this transition....



Here is a picture of my little sisters piece of art work...

If you want to watch a clip from Rivers and Tides click here or here. 

If you would like to find out about Andy Goldsworthy click here.