I was excited and more than a little awed when I learned I was awarded this grant.  I received a Development Grant in 2011which I used to create a portfolio so I could approach galleries about showing my work.  I have held a couple shows and have more scheduled.  Most of the works I did with that grant were large tapestry baskets and wall pieces.  I discovered that I had reached the limit of how large I could go using the techniques I employed.  With this grant I am going to explore ways to create even larger works.  I am part of "Kaleidoscope - An Artists' Gallery" in New London and one of the other members is Craig Edwards, potter.  Everytime I'm in the gallery I see Craig's beautiful large works and think how exciting it would be to create a basket of that size.  I also intend to explore other things I can create with my medium.
   Less than a week into this adventure, I already suffered my first setback.  Craig gave me a large pot he had sitting outside his studio to use as a mold.  Granted, the pot had been outside for a couple years and was beginning to deteriorate, but I thought it was worth a shot.  After patching some of the places where it was crumbling,  I drilled a hole in the bottom, attached a wood base and began weaving a basket around it.  When I was about 3" up I decided I wanted to see how it looked on the inside, so I removed the basket from the pot.  While I was admiring my work, the pot rolled off my work table and broke in a thousand pieces!  Hmmmm.  I started over with a large flower pot as a mold and created something totally different from what I had originally envisioned.  Craig is going to make me another large pot soon so I can try again.
   I'll keep you posted!