Leon Niehues

I employ an old basketry technique, beginning with fresh white oak logs that I gather from my immediate area, to produce splint matrials for my baskets. Where there is color in my baskets the wood has been dyed. I have also introduced new ideas and techniques to the process. These baskets are woven free-form, knife and splitting work, and the layers are often drilled and stitched. Each basket is one of a kind, signed and numbered. As a basketmaker I work alone and so I complete each step of the process myself. I’ve beena a full-time studio artist for 28 years.