Random Weave Basket Class with Kathy Badrak and Karen Osland

Saturday, July 28th, 10am - 4pm

Tuition: $45 + $10 Material Fee

In this class participants learned the basketry technique of random weave, using rattan reed and vines. This weave allows the weaver to create a free-form basket or sculpture or a more structured form such as a bowl, tray or dish. Students had the opportunity to incorporate local botanicals, found in yards and gardens, into their baskets. The finished baskets were approximately five to ten inches in diameter.

This class was suitable for any level of experience with basketry techniques and/or basketry materials. The class included all materials and written directions. Length of the workshop was six hours which included a half hour lunch break.

About the Instructors:

Kathy Badrak has been a basket weaver for over 20 years. She loves harvesting and preparing different, local, natural materials for her baskets.  She loves their colors, varieties, and textures.

Intertwined with her basket weaving, she is also a gourd artist and a Stained-Glass artist. She brings to her art, the natural fibers and weaving techniques and the vibrant colors and lines from her stained-glass work.

Kathy is a member of the Lompoc Valley Art Association, the Artist Guild of Santa Ynez Valley, California Gourd Society and the American Gourd Society. Her work has been sold through art galleries, commission work and shows in California. She has won numerous awards in juried shows and has been the featured artist for the Cypress Gallery.

Karen Osland is a naturalist and a basket weaver. She has taught classes on basketry and on the ethnobotany of California Native plants for 25 years. She has also taught basketry plant identification and the proper gathering and preparation of plant materials for use in creating baskets. She is an active member of the Central Coast Basket Weavers. Karen is retired from positions as an Environmental Planner and  staff archaeologist at Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Both Kathy’s and Karen’s goal is to connect people to their environments through Nature Awareness Education and art.