About the Artist
Interested in art since childhood, I took a more practical path as a career. When I moved to North Carolina in 1983, my interest in art was rekindled in response to the rich tradition of fine crafts I discovered here.
Throughout my 25 year clinical career, I was an artist by night and on weekends. It kept me centered and focused and provided me with an outlet for my creativity that I did not have in my psychology practice. While I lived in Raleigh, I attended classes at the NC State University Craft Center. I primarily focused on pottery, but I also learned to make baskets. I focused on basketry when my professional work took me on the road as I could take my baskets with me. A marriage of convenience, it blossomed into love! Learning from the masters in the craft, I studied traditional forms and techniques handed down through generations, perfected my skills and began incorporating my own ideas into my work. I joined the NC Basketmakers Association and I taught classes. Learning and sharing, I became part of a community of craftsmen and I loved the sense of belonging.
When I moved to Charlotte, psychology work consumed my life, but I continued to carve out time to work on my art. I learned new techniques to increase my skill level and I practiced, practiced, practiced.
Three years ago, I decided to take a “time out” myself and return to my first love full time. I took a studio at The Boulevard in NoDa where I made baskets and shared my love of basketry with the public, bringing this art form increased attention and respect. I was selected as an 11 month affiliate at The McColl Center for Visual Art, where I pushed the boundaries of traditional basketry into sculpture and branched out into mixed media. The experience at McColl, along with enrollment in classes at Clayworks has provided me a community and a feeling of belonging here.
Moving forward, I continue to take my craft to a new level, adding new twists to traditional forms and incorporating found objects to produce the unexpected. I am exploring other materials and media to expand the role of basketry beyond the obvious to fine craft, worthy in its own right to be construed as “art” as it is assimilated into daily life.
Download a PDF version of Bev’s resume