Basketry by Shannon Weber (copyright Shannon Weber)
Artist’s Statement: An Oregon native, I live in the small town of Cottage Grove, Oregon, just outside of the Willamette Valley’s wine country. My first love as a child was archaeology and I was always digging up rocks, sticks, feathers and rusty things, then studying and collecting them.
I spend my time amazed by nature. I weave original one-of-a-kind vessels and assembled collages of multiple layers of weaving, stitching, tying, encaustic, and paint that work around the edges of traditional techniques. Most materials are hand gathered. A small listing includes, but is not limited to, seagrass roots, bull sea kelp, roots, beaver sticks, barks, willow and native grasses. Color works consist of 4-6 layers of random weaving, with every layer painted as the vessel is woven up, then over-dyed. Three to four finishing layers of surface design techniques are added, which would include reclaimed metals, drip lines, vinyl discs (recycled 45 and 78 records) or canvas paintings stitched with wax linen thread.
Living most of my adult life in some of the most rural and wild areas of Oregon, the home of my heart is Oregon’s south coast. Its river drainages have had a huge influence on my work. I have gathered willow in 100 mile per hour wind gusts (almost ripping the door off my van), undressed down to my underwear in snowy, icy November to wade across a river to get the best of the beaver sticks, and hiked the headlands to get a good view of the kelp beds I gather from, only to see whales swimming through.
My work is in many public and private collections across the US and overseas and has garnered several awards. It has been seen and written about in both regional and national publications. I am a self taught artist, and have taught weaving and lectured about contemporary fiber design for more than 18 years.
If you’re interested in workshops or retreats, please note that I do not teach kelp design or color work. In a workshop there is not enough time nor natural resources to do either of these techniques. However, there’s a whole world of contemporary weaving techniques to explore and expand upon. Please email about designs, fees, or to be added to my mailing list. You can also make an appointment to visit my studio if you are in the area. I’m 20 minutes off I-5 south of Eugene, Oregon.
Artistic Resume:
Solo Exhibitions -
- 2007 – Kebanu Gallery, Bend, OR
- 2006 – Snohomish Art Council, Everett, WA
- 2005 – Guardino Gallery, Portland, OR
- 2005 – Frank Barnette Studio, Portland, OR
- 2003 – Umpqua Community College, Roseburg, OR
- 2000 – Springfield Museum, Springfield, OR
- 1997, 2000 – M. Taylor Design, Prairie Village, KS
- 1997 – TransAction Gallery, Port Orford, OR
- 1996 – High Spirits Gallery, Wenatchee, WA
- 1996 – Southern Oregon State College, Ashland, OR
- 1004 – Shore Acres State Park, Charleston, OR
Selected Group Juried Exhibitions -
- 2007 – Craft Forms 2007, Wayen Art Center, Wayen, PA
- 2007 – Lancaster Museum of Art, “Fiber National 2007 Award Winner”, Lancaster, PA
- 2007 – Portland City Hall, Portland, OR
- 2007 – Guardino Gallery, Portland, OR
- 2007 – Ninth Street Gallery, “Basket Invitational”, Newport, OR
- 2007 – Kebanu Gallery, “Nature Transformed”, Bend, OR
- 2007 – Silverwood Gallery Anniversary Show, Vashon Island, WA
- 2006 – Art in the Pearl (Best of Show), Portland, OR
- 2006 – Shonomish Art Council, Everett, WA
- 2006 – Opus6ix, Eugene, OR
- 2006 – TriAngle Square Gallery (encaustic assemblages), Port Orford, OR
- 2006 – Kebanu Gallery, Bend, OR
- 2006 – Artworks, “Around the Block”, Sisters, OR
- 2006 – Navigator (encaustic assemblages), Sisters, OR
- 2005 – Columbia City Gallery, “Holiday Invitational”, Seattle, WA
- 2005 – TriAngle Square Gallery, Port Orford, OR
- 2005 – Anacortes Fiber, “Invitational”, Anacortes, WA
- 2005 – Northwest Fiber Conference, “Invitational”, Tacoma, WA
- 2005 – Best of the Northwest, “Spring Show”, Seattle, WA
- 2005 – Frank Barnette Studio, “Art Hop”, Portland, OR
- 2004 – Best of the Northwest, “Fall Show”, Seattle, WA
- 2004 – The Collection, Eugene, OR
- 2003 – University of Oregon, “Family Album Show”, Eugene, OR
- 2000 – Edmonds Art Festival (Award of Excellence), Edmonds, WA
- 2000, 2004 – Inland Craft Warnings, Spokane, WA
- 2000 – Springboard, “Out of Hand”, Waynesville, NC
- 2000 – Robert Canaga Gallery, Eugene, OR
- 2000 – Jacobs Gallery, Hult Center, Eugene, OR
- 2000 – Luna, Vashon Island, WA
- 1996, 1998, 1999 – TransAction Gallery, “Fiber Invitational”, Port Orford, OR
- 1995, 1996 – Serendipity Gallery, La Conner, WA
- 1995 – White Bird Gallery, Cannon Beach, OR
- 1995, 1998-2000 – Bellevue Art Museum, “Art Fair (1995 Carol Duke Award of Excellence), Bellevue, WA
- 1995 – Bellevue Art Museum, “Northwest Showcase”, Bellevue, WA
- 1995 – Coquille Indian Tribe, “Winter Gathering Invitational”, Coos Bay, OR
- 1995 – Coos Bay Art Museum, Coos Bay, OR
- 1995 – Oregon Coast Aquarium, Newport, OR
- 1995 – ArtAttack Gallery, “Native American Art”, Eugene, OR
- 1994, 1995 – In Her Image Gallery, “Images”, Portland, OR
- 1994 – South Slough National Estuarine Reserve, “Sea Kelp Basketry”, Charleston, OR
- 1994, 1995 – Earthworks Gallery, Yahats, OR
- 1994 – Torrance Gallery, “Warped”, Westmont, IL
- 1993-1995, 1998 – Roaring Sea Arts, Port Orford, OR
- 1993 – South Highland, “High Fiber Diet”, Asheville, NC
- 1993 – Midwest Basketry Focus, “Basketry Redesigned”, West Harrison, OH
- 1991 – Springfield Museum, “From Hands to Baskets”, Springfield, OR
- 1991 – Second Street Gallery, Bandon, OR
- 1990-1992 – Tawanda Center for Art and Earth Studies, Port Orford, OR
- 1990, 1993 – ADOBE, Los Osos, CA
- 1990, 1994 – The Web-sters, “Invitational”, Ashland, OR
Professional Experience -
- 2003 – Instructor, Umpqua Community College, Roseburg, OR
- 2002 – Instructor, “Spring Retreat Conference”, Vi Phillips Basketry Guild, Seattle, WA
- 2001 – Instructor, “Tidal Twinings”, Columbia Basin Basketry Guild Fall Conference, Portland, OR
- 1999-2002 – Instructor, “Tools of the Trade”, University of Oregon Bookstore, Eugene, OR
- 2001 – Instructor, “Stop in Studios”, University of Oregon Bookstore, Eugene, OR
- 2000-2003 – Instructor, adult programs and after-school children’s programs, Rural Art Center, Lorane, OR
- 1995-1997 – Instructor, ArtSplash, adult programs, Maude Kerns Art Center, Eugene, OR
- 1995-1996, 2002-2004 – Instructor, EMU Craft Center, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
- 1995 – Instructor, Oregon Coast Aquarium, Newport, OR
- 1995 – Instructor, Southwestern Community College, Coos Bay, OR
- 1994, 1995 – Instructor, elder workshops, 3-day retreats, Summer Youth Culture Camp, Coquille Indian Tribe, Coose Bay, OR
- 1994 – Instructor, South Slough National Estuarine Reserve, Charleston, OR
Guest Lecturer -
- 2007 – “So You Want To Be An Artist”, Clark Honors College, University of Oregon
- 2003 – “Elements of Design”, Umpqua Community College, Roseburg, OR
- 2001 – “Vessel Form”, Tools of the Trade, University of Oregon Bookstore, Eugene, OR
- 2000 – “Artist Insight”, Jacobs Gallery, Eugene, OR
- 1996 – “Contemporary Basketry”, Columbia Basin Basketry Guild, Portland, OR
- 1994 – “Coastal Basketry”, Shore Acres State Park, Coos Bay, OR
- 1991 – “Traditional Basketry”, Black Sheep Gathering, WEGO, Eugene, OR
***************
Shannon Weber’s work is the best. Extremely creative and very well executed. She gets my vote.