Makers

Linda Lemieux

Chagford, Devon, Biography
Willow and rush basketry, rush chair seating, willow and rush grower based on Dartmoor, Devon.    I have been working as a basket maker for over thirty years. My making practice is deeply rooted in place, ecology and respect for the land, with my home on Dartmoor a constant source of inspiration. Making with my own material has always been important to me, alongside teaching and tending both the land, and young people to follow in my footsteps. Particularly close to my heart is teaching children heritage craft skills and nurturing an appreciation for the wealth of natural material on their doorstep. My teaching is not purely technique focused, and aims to cultivate a reciprocal relationship between the maker and the wild world that has given us this ancient craft.   I make baskets that are unique, beautiful and useful. My influences include my early teacher Joe Hogan and the Irish west coast styles, including creels and skibs. My designs arise in response to the colour and variety in my willow, and a desire to keep these qualities alive in the finished basket. I believe in leaving the door open for quirks and surprises during the making process, in letting the material have it's voice.    My wide variety of teaching experience includes work with Exeter University, Schumacher College, The Old Way, and various annual children's camps as well as privately run courses at my home workshop. I am a Yeoman member of the Worshipful Company of Basketmakers and a founder member of Basketmakers South West.   My husband Pete makes rush and willow basketry tools for sale, and crafts leather straps for some of my baskets.

Interests
  • Basketry
  • Chair Seating
  • Hedgerow
  • Rush (Basketry)
  • Rush (Chair Seating)
  • Traditional
  • Willow (Basketry)