This is the culmination of 7 days of weaving and gathering.  Vine prunings from the local vineyard at Wraxall, wild clematis, hazel, Virginia creeper, ash twigs and dogwoods have all been carefully woven into these willow balls to celebrate Nature’s winter colours and textures. 

All the materials, with the exception of wild clematis, form part of an annual maintenance operation; vineyard maintenance, hedgerow cutting prior to bird nesting, coppiced garden dogwoods and tidying of potentially over vigourous house creeper. 

I love the grooved grey stems of wild clematis, for this I have to go to the woods where it happily climbs up from the forest floor and into the canopy of coppiced hazel.  Foresters consider it a weed as it makes felling a tangled and difficult mess as well as cutting out light from coppiced stools.  It does however provide access to tiny creatures such as doormice up into the woodland canopy.  Sustainable harvesting is necessary however it is a very vigorous climber.

I was asked to make these balls for an exhibition that starts next weekend, they will be suspended from the beams in a barn which should look stunning!  They look great indoors, a conservatory or outdoors where I find that birds usually build nests in them,  I have nick-named them ‘birds nest sculptures’.

Moorwood Art, The Carpenter’s Shop, Whitfield House, Whitfield, Hereford HR2 9BA
Open Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th March 2013
10.00am – 1.00pm and 3.00pm – 5.00pm
11th, 12th and 13th March (by appointment only)