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Nature is the Ultimate Teacher and Inspiration
“True art is but the expression of our love of nature.” Henry David Thoreau
“To me, nature is the ultimate teacher and inspiration. I delight in its every detail, from the beautiful markings on the wings of a moth to the majesty of mountain and meadow. Nature enlivens the current of my being, affects the very tenor of my thoughts, my vision and my imagination. Nature opens my ears and eyes and awakens my soul. My work is an effort to incorporate beautiful elements of nature – a seed pod we tread upon or a leaf of grass – and put them in a context where people take time to experience and enjoy their perfection.” Christine Love Adcock
Drawn to the ancient art of Basketry
Inspired by her travels, Christine’s initial interest in basketry began in her twenties. While living in Puerto Rico and Mexico she became interested in the artistic expressions of indigenous people. She later enrolled as an art major at the University of California, where she began to use natural materials in the creation of sculptural forms. This interest evolved into a fascination with basketry as a medium, and so began a process of experimentation and self-education.
Spending time in the coastal foothills above Santa Barbara, California shepherding flocks of dairy goats belonging to the commune where she lived, she gathered and began to experiment with the varieties of plant fibers native to her local environment. She also began researching the materials used by the native Chumash Indians in her area.
She developed an understanding of the characteristics of the local materials and began to develop her own techniques, creating both contemporary and traditional forms. After several years of intensive study, she connected with Terry DeWald, a collector and expert in the field of Papago and Pima basketry. He introduced her to weavers in Arizona, where she was able to live for three weeks on the reservation and apprentice with three different Papago weavers.
When she returned to her home in Santa Barbara, Christine became involved with a program at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History seeking to revive the art of Chumash basketry. While inspired by the beautiful basketry of native peoples, she felt it was important to pursue her own vision within this ancient medium. At the same time, she volunteered to teach basketry to the blind at the local Braille Institute where she taught for six years. Later, she taught basketry through the Wilderness Youth Project, a non-profit organization that provides counseling and wilderness skills for homeless and at risk children.
Most of Christine’s materials continue to be indigenous to the area in which she lives, and most, with the exception of Birchbark and Lechuguilla, are hand-gathered.
These materials include Lechuguilla, Sea Grass, Pine Needles, Date Palm Fruit Stalks, Date Palm Inflorescence, Dracaena Draco leaves, Cottonwood and Willow shoots, Birch Bark, Yucca, Acacia and Jacaranda seed pods, and others.
The materials are prepared in a variety of ways and color is often added through dying with natural and commercial dyes. The forms are contemporary and traditional. The inspiration, first and last is the natural world. Christine’s work is displayed in galleries and museums throughout the United States, Europe, Canada, and Japan. She also collaborates with her husband Michael a potter, on a line of clay and fiber art.
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