Tanya was one of our Resident Artists back in 2023 when she delighted us all with her basketry skills and also her wonderful heartstone rocks. This time Tanya returns to our spaces both for a residency and to offer workshops but also as the exhibiting artist in the gallery.
“My earliest memories are those that connect me to nature.”
I cherish the connection to the earth through the materials I am always full of gratitude for where basketmaking has taken me and the combination of stones and baskets nestling together seems quite right.
Stones, grounding and symbolic, used for centuries across the world as markers of important times or places. Happiness, prosperity, unity, strength and any good thoughts are what I like to reflect on when I am making a blessing stone. I sincerely hope my own good feelings will add to the blessings of the receiver. Of course all of this comes down to your own personal belief system and it is up to the person receiving the stone as to whether they partake in this belief around them. Some might prefer to see them as purely a decorative item.
Baskets – practical and decorative, my woven work is a testament to the intimate bond I share with the earth, a connection deeply rooted in the materials I use. Using what’s around me in nature I have a bounty at my fingertips. In the garden or at the beach I pounce on these treasures, already half reimagined into its other life. I take these taonga and apply basketry techniques used world wide, delighting in resurrecting nature’s castoffs, reinterpreting how natural elements are viewed and displayed.
Through my work, I aim to offer a new narrative for these natural elements, one that honours their origin and invites contemplation on their continued journey.
The two workshops Tanya will be offering while she is here that were up on her website are now full but check out her website to enjoy more about Tanya.
https://www.heartstonebaskets.com/
Check out her artist page to learn more about her: https://fromoutofthebluestudiogallery.com/tanya-doty-heartstone-baskets/.
Here are a few taster images of her solo exhibition:
Now that the exhibition is deinstalled I am loading the interview videos taken with Tanya while she was in Residence so we can all enjoy replaying them over time.