Don Weeke (b. 1947) American, Natural Fiber Constructions Woven Gourd Jar. Title: "Red Seas." Stark colors and shapes with net-like holes and a woven rim. Comes with informative tag that includes date of production: 1982. 

Condition: Vertical crack on one side. 

Size: 12 x 12 x 8 in. 

#3538 . 

Don Weeke was born in 1947 in a small farming community in the village of Addieville, Illinois. His first exposure to art was helping his grandmother to sew quilts. A polymath who took to many subjects with ease, he received his Bachelors in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Illinois in 1969, followed by his Masters in Social Work from San Diego State University in 1976. In the last year of his Masters he discovered natural basket weaving and studied with Misti Washington in nearby Solana Beach. He began teaching weaving workshops in 1978, expanding to working with gourds after collecting willow in a stream bed and discovering interesting shapes in a nearby field. His gourd weaving technique was considered revolutionary and helped revive techniques used by indigenous cultures, using fibers native to the San Diego area like Torrey pine needles, date palm fronds, and acorns and oak from the mountains. In 1986 he gave his first workshop on this technique in Telluride, Colorado, which turned into an annual cross-country lecture series that introduced the art of burning, carving, and painting gourds as well. His work is regularly on display nationally at galleries like the Gadfly in Virginia and 2Create in California, and is in permanent exhibitions at the Borrego Art Institute and Fuller Craft Museum in Massachusetts. It has been featured in multiple art books, including Fiberarts Design Book 7, The Complete Book of Gourd Craft, and 500 Baskets, and inspired multiple artists working in both sculpture and natural crafts. Today Weeke lives in Julian, California, a mountain community and former mining town in San Diego County, where he is a member of the Julian Arts Guild, regularly offering workshops and lectures and continuing to make new pieces.

Vertical crack on one side.