BILLY RAY SIMS
BASKET MAKER |
| Billy’s baskets are
interpretations of traditional styles from various regions,
including the Southern Highlands, the Northeast, and South
Carolina Lowcountry. The materials, ranging from white oak and
black ash to sweet grass and bull rush, are appropriate for each
style. He hand renders all materials and harvests and splits
most of the white oak. |
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His work represents the
culmination of several years of a self-directed apprenticeship
that involved collaboration with a number of master basket
makers. It is homage to an endangered heritage. |
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| Billy grew up in the foothills
of East Tennessee and a family of artisans who encouraged him to
learn handcrafts such as weaving, woodworking, and wooden boat
building. “I’ve been blessed with a successful career as a
magazine editor,” says Billy, “but it’s the balance between the
two callings that keeps me fulfilled.” |
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Billy’s path has evolved from a casual
learning experience with sweetgrass basket making a decade ago
to a passionate pursuit now to create interpretations of some of
America’s most beautiful basketry. |
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Member: Alabama Designer Craftsmen, Southern
Highlands Craft Guild, and Mammoth Cave Basket Makers Guild,
Kentucky. Click here to contact Billy via
e-mail.
Click here to see
more on the web. |
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