Kathleen Otley selecting and steaming willow cane.
Describing her work as contemporary primitive, Kathleen Otley strives to bridge time to an era when the human presence was in balance with the natural flow and spirit of the universe. Starting out as a weaver she soon discovered farmed willow for basket weaving and began to create willow wall sculptures that hold a quiet magical quality that transform ordinary walls into ritual space and enhance living spaces with a graceful presence.
Presently she has turned her attention to creating pieces in encaustic, or wax, on wood that incorporate avian imagery with three dimensional objects, and pieces that feature a center of woven metals surrounded by a wax border with fragments of writing or patterns. Some works feel distinctly Asian, while others tend toward abstraction.
Many of these pieces are best displayed in small groupings of various sized works together in a pleasing arrangement.
NEW ENCAUSTICS
WILLOW WALL SCULPTURE
Kathleen’s willow sculptures are created from farmed willow intended for basket weaving, some of which is steamed , the bark peeled off, and dyed. Other canes are left natural before being joined by ropes, copper, brass, hand spun wool, and ornamented with small charms. In 1993 she was commissioned to create an ornament for the White House Christmas Tree, which is now in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution.
Large Shield
Copper Woven Willow
Bundle Banner
Medium Shield
Ancient Tableau and Small Staff
Large Shield
