.....the purpose to gather the last of the season's Purple Moor Grass - left any longer and the leaves become fragile, gathered too early and it's still attached to the plant and is less easy to harvest. As the UK's only deciduous grass it's nice to take advantage of it's leaf dropping properties by gathering simply by running your hands through the tussocks. You can see the gathered grass drying in my studio here: studio blog.

Tonight the wood was full of roosting Rooks worried by my presence and giving me a swift fly by, the sky was red and the shallow stream was brighter than ever with the special Iron fixing bacteria. I've gathered the Iron slime here before and it makes a strong painting pigment - perhaps I should try it for dying my basketry materials?

It's great to see the woodland being managed well to increase the marshy area and encourage many of the special plants that are quite rare on the Isle of Wight. Bog Myrtle, Hair Moss, Ling Heather and various sedges whilst common just over the water in the New Forest struggle to find acidic soil habiats on the island.

Below some pictures from the same spot last November, Bog Myrtle still in leaf and the Moor Grass only just turned and pretty soggy!

Next Sunday, 29th January, I'll be back at the Villa again and we will be working with lovely soft rushes and grasses weaving with the twining technique to make a variety of little rounded baskets and mats.

Details and bookings can be made directly with Brading Roman Villa.

Over the following four days I taught a course combining traditional basketmaking skills with the freedom and spontaneity that I have practised for many years in my creative practice. This combination of tradition and innovation provides a healthy and challenging pallette of techniques whilst gathering inspiration from the lush vegetation and natural forms of the surrounding countryside.

Today I have uploaded a new gallery documenting this week showing some of the participants and their work, materials and natural inspirations. During 2012 two more of my courses are planned at Søre Skogen - an outdoor painting and drawing course in May, followed by a basketmaking course in September. Course details, prices and dates will follow over the coming weeks on this blog and on the Søre Skogen website, however to whet your appetite i hope you enjoy the pictures here.

The European makers featured in the show are: Anna Maria Väätäinen, Dorte Tilma, Anette Holdensen, Susanne Wittingham, Helle Baslund, Jette Mellgren and myself. We have each chosen a Ugandan basket from a large selection purchased by Jette and we are all making our individual and diverse responses. My basket is for collecting Dragonflies! These are gathered during the wet season and supply a valuable source of nutrition - it is a beautiful openwork twined vessel that has some very interesting details. Below is some work in progress as the work evolves and I learn more about it's construction.

Twining Iris leaves

Above twined Iris, below Esparto grass.

Birch - beautiful reddish brown twigs with many branches.

Hazel - not with frost but with a fine downy covering highlighted by the sun behind.

Larch - fine, flexable and both scaly and knobbly with a yellowish tinge.

Willow - shiny, long and reddish brown with branchesat the tip.

My harvest - from left Birch, Larch, Willow, Elm.

I'll be making all through the event too so if your a budding weaver or just curious come along and I'll happily talk you through what I'm up to, and of course new works will be available straight from the maker's hand! see you there.....

See the Ventnor Blog article here......Wayzgoose 2011

I will be presenting a selection of recent work alongside a special sale of work made over the last couple of years - be sure to come early to snap up a bargain as I'm having a good clear out to make room for forthcoming projects! If you want a sneak preview be sure to keep an eye on this blog and you can see my studio work in progress on my dedicated Studio Photoblog.