The Ailsa Craig Art Centre is delighted to be able to exhibit, for the first time ever, the amazing basketry creations of local artist, Theresa English. Inspired by nature’s wonderful textures, colours and form, Theresa found inspiration in the wild places during the Covid lockdowns as she gathered, processed and created her basket ware from a plethora of local materials. You will be delighted and inspired by this unique display and we imagine, like us, your future walks in the woods and valleys will have you looking carefully at the myriad of materials reflected in her baskets. Wild Willow, Dandelions, Day Lillies, Rhubarb, Nettles, Spruce, Pine Needles, Dogwood, Grapevine, Wisteria, Ivy, Daffodils and many more “free and forgotten” materials are transformed by her sensitive hand. Theresa, a life long educator, will also be teaching several basket making workshops in the fall through the ACAC, sharing her love of working with natural elements.
Theresa English:
“I have no formal art training, I just love to be busy. I can’t remember a time where I wasn’t making something. Even before I went off to school I was allowed to use dad’s hand tools and my mums sewing machine and her needlework supplies. Nothing was off limits. They would show me how things worked, threw in a few safety tips and then let me be. They nurtured my creative spirit. To this day I find this still works best for me. I find something that interests me, I will take a few lessons, learn the basics, get good tools and then I like to discover the craft myself, without too many rules and boundaries. I will stick with it for years and then something else will start popping into my brain. Little nudges from my creative spirit and when I finally listen……… I am off too another creative venture. I have never been one to stick to just one craft but I do find that each thing I learn has properties that I use in the next craft. If I can recycle or use nature in my work then I am at my happiest. Presently I am into creating baskets, purses and vessels made from bark, grasses, leaves, sticks, cordage, roots, etc….. Each season has been a blessing of natures goodness for me to discover, collect and experiment with. To me the art of creating baskets is as much about the searching out and gathering of materials, the meditative process of preparing the different fibres and then finally the actual making of the item that you had envisioned in your mind.
It is a total sensory experience.”
The Arts Centre is open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 1 - 3 starting September 7, 2021. Come and check out the absolutely gorgeous baskets!
No need to register, just drop in!
he Ailsa Craig Art Centre is delighted to be able to exhibit, for the first time ever, the amazing basketry creations of local artist, Theresa English. Inspired by nature’s wonderful textures, colours and form, Theresa found inspiration in the wild places during the Covid lockdowns as she gathered, processed and created her basket ware from a plethora of local materials. You will be delighted and inspired by this unique display and we imagine, like us, your future walks in the woods and valleys will have you looking carefully at the myriad of materials reflected in her baskets. Wild Willow, Dandelions, Day Lillies, Rhubarb, Nettles, Spruce, Pine Needles, Dogwood, Grapevine, Wisteria, Ivy, Daffodils and many more “free and forgotten” materials are transformed by her sensitive hand. Theresa, a life long educator, will also be teaching several basket making workshops in the fall through the ACAC, sharing her love of working with natural elements.
Teresa English:
“I have no formal art training, I just love to be busy. I can’t remember a time where I wasn’t making something. Even before I went off to school I was allowed to use dad’s hand tools and my mums sewing machine and her needlework supplies. Nothing was off limits. They would show me how things worked, threw in a few safety tips and then let me be. They nurtured my creative spirit. To this day I find this still works best for me. I find something that interests me, I will take a few lessons, learn the basics, get good tools and then I like to discover the craft myself, without too many rules and boundaries. I will stick with it for years and then something else will start popping into my brain. Little nudges from my creative spirit and when I finally listen……… I am off too another creative venture. I have never been one to stick to just one craft but I do find that each thing I learn has properties that I use in the next craft. If I can recycle or use nature in my work then I am at my happiest. Presently I am into creating baskets, purses and vessels made from bark, grasses, leaves, sticks, cordage, roots, etc….. Each season has been a blessing of natures goodness for me to discover, collect and experiment with. To me the art of creating baskets is as much about the searching out and gathering of materials, the meditative process of preparing the different fibres and then finally the actual making of the item that you had envisioned in your mind.
It is a total sensory experience.”
The Arts Centre is open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 1 - 3. Come and check out the absolutely gorgeous baskets!
No need to register, just drop in!