Lisa Dear Basket Maker and teacher black and white portrait with her dog.
A black and white photo of a horse hitched to a small covered wagon, standing on a grassy field with trees in the background.

ABOUT

My basketmaking practice was born from a life spent living in the wild pockets of Britain, whilst travelling with my horses and wagons.

Along my travels I made my first willow basket whilst sat around a fire with friends on the chalk hills of Dorset.

​The potential to create a useful,meaningful vessel with natural and organic materials captivated me.

Since then, to create a living in a sustainable and environmentally sound way has been integral to my life and I am always working to better my craft.

For the best part of the year I live in my much loved bowtop wagon,deep in the woods where I am witness to the change of the seasons,in quiet conversation with nature.

I also work extensively with trees, mindful of their presence as healing companions and grateful for the living they have given me.

THE BASKETS

Bringing together the tactile and visually beautiful qualities of willow I weave strong,beautiful and unique baskets for everyday use which enhance the act of carrying or storing, collecting, foraging.

I aim to create with integrity and a respect for our planet and the beings that inhabit it.

Willow is a versatile, renewable and resilient plant, qualities which I think have great significance in our rapidly changing world.

The skills which have been handed down through time flow through my hands into the hands of others.

THE MATERIAL

I work with English (Somerset and Sussex) grown willow and other locally sourced materials from the hedgerow and coppice, hazel, sycamore, chestnut, elm and oak, creating traditional and contemporary baskets for everyday use including shoppers, handbags, storage and garden /foraging baskets.

I sell at Makers and Designers fairs and other events local to Sussex, Artists open houses in Brighton, The Makers Fairs, Charleston Makers fair and Artwave.

I periodically have items in stock at Ditchling Museum of Art and Craft, online with Vigour and Skills homeware shop.
​Customers can also buy directly from me by contacting me at lisa.m.dear@gmail.com or through this website via the SHOP

Birds nest basket made of intertwined twigs resting on weathered wooden planks.

PEOPLE:

Over the last five years I have had the pleasure of teaching and sharing basketry techniques and willow knowledge with the following groups;

  • Lewes Railway Land Nature Links youth group

  • Lewes Basketry School and Festival

  • Love Our Ouse

  • Tate Modern

  • Singing with Nightingales project

  • Friends and Families of Travellers

  • Land Skills Fair

  • Organic Growers Gathering

  • East Sussex Guild of Spinners Weavers and Dyers

  • Chailey School

Plus many more!

I love the positivity people experience from working with their hands and the natural world,working with people from all walks of life, especially groups that have nature at their heart and people who experience real transformation through this process.

Research piece for the Love Our Ouse and Tate Modern Rivers Project, May 2025 (pictured right)

Multiple woven twig or reed leaves arranged diagonally on a white wooden surface.
Multiple woven twig or reed leaves arranged diagonally on a white wooden surface.