Innovation of the craft
My personal challenge is to preserve old techniques and use them for new products; to give basketry a firm place again in our modern society by focussing on quality and beauty.
Today basket making is a profession that you may come across unexpectedly. In the past it was a traditional craft passed on from father to son; nowadays it is a well considered choice for a beautiful but difficult craft. Or perhaps I should say it is a way of life, as I think that modern basket makers are motivated by a specific belief or passion. I have always been fascinated by handmade products, anything from beautifully carved wood, to pottery or even homemade jam. It is the idea that you are responsible for the whole process of development that appeals to me.
When I started basket making some 12 year ago, it was because I wanted to work with natural materials using old, disappearing techniques; I wanted to keep old traditions alive. I attended a 5 day willow work workshop just for fun. But after 3 days my life had been changed. I realised that this was what I wanted to do: I wanted to master this craft. Willow is enormously challenging as it never does what you want it to. It was in fact this stubbornness that drew me to it and it continues to excite me to this day.
These days, basket making is hardly a full-time profession in the Netherlands. The cost of living makes it hard for craftsmen to live from their craft. The training system disappeared many years ago. There are still a few professional makers around, but they have neither the time nor the money to train new basket makers. I was very fortunate as my parents gave me the opportunity to study at the German Basket Makers School in Lichtenfels. I spent 4 years there, learning as much as possible: not just basket making using willow, but using numerous different materials and techniques. For 3 of the 4 years of my study, I focussed on skein willow work. Skein work demands precision and accuracy from the maker. The entire process of making a skeined willow object is fully considered before the work is started. The techniques are the same as with normal willow basketry, however, the appearance of skeined willow work is almost like textile cloth. It looks fragile and breakable
I now have my own workshop and I also work at the Dutch National Basketry Museum Noordwolde (Nationaal Vlechtmuseum Noordwolde). This job distinguishes me from other Dutch basket makers. My basket making has an active and a passive part. My task at the museum is to create a knowledge centre, where documents are gathered and information passed on about basket making in the past, the present and the future.
Apart from my work at the museum I have my own workshop. My work is usually commissioned by private people or other museums. My main focus is the making and repairing of skeined willow work. But, as this is a very expensive type of basketry, it is not enough to live off and so I also restore cane seats, do some small willow work pieces. In the future I want to focus more and more on my skeined willow work and to gain more recognition for this unknown type of basketry. There is a rising demand for exclusive handmade products at the moment, so I hope I will be able to gain from this and develop my work. Because my baskets are so time-consuming, they are very expensive. Fifty hours work on one piece is not unusual. Most of the pieces I make are therefore for special occasions like a marriage or a birth. This gives me great pleasure as I am sure the pieces will be kept in remembrance of that special occasion.
I know that my interest in and love for basket making will continue into the future because of the variety: the multiple techniques, materials, possibilities and inspiring people. More and more people are discovering basketry and this introduces many exciting projects. At the same time makers from all over the world are getting in touch with each other to share and work together.
