Peculiar Creature
The subtle, rough-hewn nature of Jennifer Zurick's baskets are simply a pleasure for the senses. Willow bark is the source for the fibers that are tightly woven into undulating, billowing shapes, so reminiscent of the utilitarian vessels used by Native peoples the world over to contain the victuals of life.
Jennifer's use of both fibers and branches in her work creates an exciting panoply of textures that are made large by the vessel's form; whether straight and tall, or narrowed top and bottom while bulged in the middle, or voluminous and amorphous, the interaction between the surface elements and the basket's shape are endlessly entertaining.
Zurick finds inspiration in the artistic creativity of early Native American baskets, as well as the simplicity of modern Japanese basketry, and in acknowledging these two cultures finds her own method of self-expression, beautiful and timeless in its own way.