From Hampshire Woodland to the Vitners’ Hall
Nicks ‘Runner Up’ Cedar Bark Basket
Nick was delighted to be awarded Runner-up in the Basket of the Year Competition, organised by the Basketmakers' Association in partnership with the Worshipful Company of Basketmakers.
Detail of the basket, showing how the contrasting dyed and natural bark work to make the pattern.
The awards were presented during the Worshipful Company's annual Trade Dinner at the historic Vintners' Hall in London, where Nick and his wife Mollie were invited as guests. It was a wonderful evening celebrating the remarkable skill and diversity of contemporary basketmaking, made even more memorable by receiving the award from HRH The Duchess of Gloucester, Patron of the Basketmakers' Association.
Detail showing the twinning and border of the basket
The basket that received the award reflects many of the values that underpin all of Nicks work, whether in basketry or botanical drawing: careful observation, patience and a deep respect for the natural materials themselves.
The spiral pattern on the base of the basket
The basket is woven entirely from western red cedar bark, harvested from woodlands local to Nick in Hampshire. He works closely with small woodland owners to collect bark only from trees that have been felled as part of ongoing woodland management, ensuring the material is gathered responsibly and given a new life through craft.
Nick meeting HRH Duchess of Gloucester
The finished basket measures 34 × 34 × 25 cm and explores the transition between square and circular forms. A spiral pattern emerges across the base before rising into alternating diamond and circular motifs around the sides, created through the changing arrangement of the dyed and natural cedar bark. Structural strength is provided by three-strand twining around both the base and upper edge, finished with a traditional folded and wrapped border.
One of the pleasures of working with cedar bark is its warmth and subtle variation in colour. The contrast between the natural bark and the hand-dyed strips creates shifting geometric patterns that reveal themselves differently as the basket is viewed from different angles.
Nick was delighted to meet HRH The Duchess of Gloucester
Although Nicks recent work has been dominated by large-scale botanical drawings, basketmaking remains an important part of his creative practice. Both disciplines begin with time spent in the woodland, studying trees closely and developing an understanding of their character. Whether drawing the surface of an ancient oak or weaving cedar bark harvested from a woodland floor, his aim is always the same: to celebrate the beauty, complexity and value of our native landscapes through careful craftsmanship.
Receiving recognition from the Basketmakers' Association and the Worshipful Company of Basketmakers is a great honour, and Nick is grateful to everyone involved for organising such a memorable event.