Olivia Keith is a local artist and craftsperson (http://www.oliviakeith.co.uk/) who came to teach Forest School her skills in October 2010.

Throughout the world people make use of their local plant materials to make functional, sustainable items; some are very simple and others more complex using different weaves and structures e.g. lobster pot.  Hazel hurdles make use of both round and split rods.

During the winter months, when the sap is down, is the time to harvest willow and recycle prunings from the garden and hedgerow.  Hampshire has many willows, dogwoods, ash, apple, buckthorn, blackthorn, lime, maples, hazel, rushes and long leaves that are flexible enough to be used.  Each stem, of one year’s growth, has its own characteristics (story, structure, colour, texture, smell and behaviour) and each can be woven into a basket or sculpture.

Willow, both ‘green’ (fresh) and soaked (previously dried out), is a wonderfully versatile material.  It is extremely flexible and some varieties are very fast growing thus providing long lengths to work with. It is good for constructing big sculptures quite quickly in a large outside space, but a fairly hazardous activity in a confined inside space.