Needles And Pines Sharon Greig’s baskets are as natural as the trees. ORIGINALLY TRAINED AS A GRAPHIC ARTIST, Sharon Greig has spent years developing expertise in other mediums of expression. Her work in textile Arts, photography, silversmithing and pottery kept guiding her closer to the natural things she loves. It wasn’t until she began experimenting in basketry that she finally found the perfect fit. A lifelong basket collector, Greig credits her passion to intrepid parents: “They would always return from these great world travels with a basket for me,” explains the artist. Greig’s technique involves coiling long, supple pine needles into unique shapes and then hand-stitching them together with waxed linen thread. The resulting baskets are preserved with a coating of beeswax, heated and then moulded to their final sculptural forms. Priced from $185.00. The subtle scent of pine and beeswax: no charge. Available at Circle Craft Gallery on Granville Island, The Gallery at Mattick’s Farm in Victoria and on-line at www.sharongreig.com. – Arlee Gale As seen in the April 2005 issue of Western Living Magazine