Debbie Hall - Artist Basketmaker

"I am an artist living and working in rural Cambridgeshire on 2 acres of beautiful land which is a constant inspiration to my work. A descendant of stonemasons, smiths, and tailors, I have always had the urge to create and my hands can’t be still for long!

Though I have a diverse artistic background (with a first degree in Fine Art and an MA in Illustration) and use a variety of materials, it is willow that has kept me well and truly captivated over the last 25 years. Fascinated with the cycles of life, and living closely with nature, it gives me great joy to be able to create with the colourful organic willow which I grow, harvest and prepare myself, nurturing my creations at every stage from bud to basket. I love that my body is directly engaged with the shaping of the material – skin on bark - with very little intervention of tools. When things flow I am left with the feeling that my baskets and sculpture are allowed to somehow emerge from their surroundings, and my hope is that the inherent beauty of the material and my deep connection to it shine through."