Basket #861

Dona Look creates baskets from white birch bark which she harvests from the forests of northwestern Wisconsin. Salvaging the bark of soon-to-be-logged birch trees, Look is able to create variations in color, texture, and tone by utilizing different layers of the tree, as seen in Basket #861. Back in her studio, she carefully cuts the bark based on cardboard patterns she has created, and then stitches the baskets together using waxed silk thread.