About my work

I have been working with local brush, trees and vines for the past ten years or so. I started out making willow and bark baskets of traditional styles. I realized that cedar bark could be woven to produce the Mic-Mac and Shaker style baskets that are usually made of white oak or black ash, and that the cedar was much more easily harvested. It could also be used to weave seats for chairs and stools.

Over time, it was often necessary to make gates for our fences and arbors for our garden, and I was encouraged by friends to expand my basketry business in this direction. I now produce a wide range of arbors and trellises built from long lasting cedar poles and branches, as well as rustic bent twig furniture.

Examples of my larger work can be seen at Rideau Nursery in North Gower where I have built 20'x24' garden room with a porch along one side. Climbing roses are planted along the walls of the 7' high room. An arbor with two facing seats is at one side of another garden and is incorporated into 125' of twig fencing.

I love my work. It has been particularly gratifying these past few years to take the ice storm salvage and make it into something beautiful. I cut the living wood with care, cutting only those trees whose absence will encourage more vigorous growth of those that remain or using wood that has already been cut by local landowners for  other reasons. Working wood in its natural state and creating utilitarian objects that contain and reflect nature's beauty is a very satisfactory experience.