Jean Johnson lives in Germantown, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee and has been weaving for 17 years. Her baskets are woven primarily from splint reed/rattan. Although the reed starts out almost white, she dyes the colors, weaves the basket, and stains it with a natural walnut water-based stain. The stain gives the baskets the look of an antique oak or ash basket.
Because she is a self-taught weaver, her style is unique, not influenced by other weavers. Many of the baskets are her own designs. Some are common styles which are longer, shorter, bigger, or smaller than normal. For some, she uses oak or hickory handles. Others have reed handles that have been woven back up into the basket for added strength and then wrapped with reed. The rims are double lashed.
The entry deadline for the 2023 Directory of
Traditional American Crafts has passed. We are now processing entries and submitting
them to our jurors. We will contract entrants after the jurors have made ther decisions.
BACKGROUND
