Carol Wagner

Carol Wagner is an artist and crafter with more than thirty years experience drawing, painting, and basket-making.  Carol’s pine needle baskets come in many forms from trays to deep bowls with antler handles, and sometimes include bones, feathers, or wooden panels.  Her works are sturdy and tightly woven, often re-enforced using beeswax or shellac.  As a nature lover and self proclaimed earth mother, Carol sees her basketry work as directly related to her personal and spiritual connection with the earth.

Artist’s Statement

     My grandfather was blind and he learned how to make baskets. This started my fascination with handmade baskets and I eventually learned how to make them at a family camp. I began to take classes and then developed my own technique. 

     I use a coiled basketry technique incorporating waxing, shellac, and natural pine needles. I like to make my baskets very basic so people can incorporate their own natural elements such as feather, bone, and rock.

     I am inspired by the outdoors and enjoy making art that incorporates the basic rhythms and patterns found in the natural world. I find the repetitive nature of basketry and the connection to nature very therapeutic.