Rosemary Kavanagh

Originally from Oregon, USA, Rosemary Kavanagh is now based in West Cork. She works full-time making, selling, and repairing baskets through her business, Wild Rose Basketry, as well as teaching others how to weave. In her own work, her focus is on creating functional pieces of art that can become part of the stories of peoples’ lives.

The craft of basketry is rooted in place; sculpted by the many hands and generations that have come before and intertwined with the wisdom and ways of Nature. To her, the ancient craft of basket-making is born from that indigenous and indestructible part of our humanity that is of the land. She is fascinated by the full-circle nature of the processes she is involved in – planting, tending to and harvesting the willow that will become what she weaves. She grows fifteen different varieties of willow in her coppice, each with a unique, dynamic colour that contributes to the complexity of the finished patterns of her baskets. The resulting work, made to her own patterns, is rooted in a belonging to place and the land, the rich soil of tradition, as well as the freedom of personal style and creative expression.

Rosemary Kavanagh applied for a Golden Fleece Award to develop her weaving skills. She plans to train with master willow-weaver Anne-Mette Hjørnholm in Denmark in order to further her study of frame baskets, hoops/shaping, new willow-growing techniques, fitched/scallomed work, leather work and weaving efficiency. She would also like to improve her photography skills and invest in new basketry tools.