Leslie was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest and has always loved exploring the surrounding areas. Whether hiking, camping, or foraging, she has continued to feel fortunate that she was able to apply her love for the outdoors to her artistic passions. Her weaving techniques combine traditional styles with contemporary methods, and the main focus of her work is the use of found materials such as naturally shed antlers, cherry bark, reeds, and grasses. Created in the shadow of Mt Hood along the beautiful Columbia River, she considers her work to be odes to the primitive containers first used by humans, and that by creating these vessel, she has found a way to honor the artisans who have come before her.

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CHRIS WARREN

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  Chris grew up in the Seattle area, and after moving to Portland in her early 20’s, she took a number of classes at a local art center. After      her first class in basketry she was hooked and realized this was what she wanted to do. While pursuing basketry, she taught a            number of classes, but her real love was weaving itself, and she wanted to develop and expand the scope of her own weaving.

   The main emphasis in her baskets is the use of natural materials and she spends several weeks each year gathering bark, kelp, driftwood. Whilst exploring the back roads, the mountains and the coast of the Pacific Northwest in search of new materials, she has been privileged to visit many beautiful places which have inspired her work. She is a member and a former board member of the Columbia Basin Basketry Guild, and a member of the Lake Oswego Crafts and Arts League (LOCAL 14). Her baskets have received many awards and one was featured in the Lark Press book, “500 Baskets”. Her work can be seen in galleries and art shows around the northwest.

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