Peggy Wiedemann
Basket Maker

Peggy graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a degree in Fine Arts, and a broad interest in expanding her knowledge, skills and talent. She experimented in a variety of mediums including oils, pen-and-ink drawing, printmaking, sculpture and ceramics.

In her early years, she introduced art and the creative process to children of all ages as a school teacher. During this time, she also managed an art gallery and was an importer of baskets from a host of countries and cultures.

The basket import business exposed her to a variety of cultures, craftsmen and artists, as well as many forms of materials and techniques. It also enticed her to become an avid collector of Native American and African baskets, and become a basket maker.

As a basket maker, Peggy uses a wide variety of materials. She has a strong preference for natural fibers and gourds. She also enjoys personally gathering many of these materials, such as pine needles and palm fibers. To these natural materials, she adds metal, beads and " found" objects to form unique pieces.

The play among mind, hands and a host of materials continually stimulates the creative process and leads her work in new directions. Using the traditional crafts and materials, in perhaps unorthodox ways, she creates basket designs, shapes and styles that stretch the imagination and react with the senses.



Insight

New Year

Over the Edge

Squiggled

The Nest