Sally Bright

Welcome to SallyBright.com. Weave your way through the words and images of one of America's most talented and creative basketry artists.

Sally J. Bright
Contemporary. Complex. Stimulating.

"When you buy from an independent artist you are buying more than just a painting or a novel or a song. You are buying hundreds of hours of experimentation and thousands of failures. You are buying days, weeks, months, years of frustration and moments of pure joy. You are buying nights of worry about paying the rent, having enough money to eat, having enough money to feed the children, the birds, the dog. You aren't just buying a thing, you are buying a piece of heart, part of a soul, a private moment in someone's life. Most importantly, you are buying that artist more time to do something they are truly passionate about; something that makes all of the above worth the fear and the doubt; something that puts the life into the living."
- Rebekah Joy Plett

The Art Form

“My goal is to continually challenge assumptions and stretch the definition of what the ancient craft of basketry can be. As I seek new challenges, my work becomes more complex. While following the artistic vision, each piece must be carefully thought through. There are design and craftsmanship decisions to make every minute.”

“Each piece of artistic basketry is an original creation, designed and woven entirely by me. I first study an idea through drawings and fashioning small clay models, giving careful thought to shape and color as integral elements of the design.”

“My creations are made mostly of rattan and palm. I may also harvest and use other plant materials, as well as metals, plastics and handmade papers. After the piece has been woven I paint the basket by applying 10 - 50 layers of translucent artist acrylics with an airbrush, followed by 3 coats of sealant.”

Depending on the intricacy of the design, the size and detail involved, it may take Sally up to three months to complete a piece. But the resulting finished basketry is a marvel of form, structure and color designed to make a striking visual impact.

The Inspiration

“A piece may begin as a response to a mood, the essence of a shape, or a feeling about a material or color combination. Increasingly, the work reflects change and movement. The most successful work comes when I am able to sustain a feeling and follow it, allowing the piece to become what it needs to be. Certainly I look to create beauty. More importantly, I look to evoke an emotional reaction within the person viewing a work.”

Inspired by natural shapes, structures, dimensions and palettes not obvious to the naked eye, Sally’s basketry gives macro expression to the micro world. She seeks the odd beauty produced by the effects of light and water on aquatic and terrestrial flora and fauna; in the diversity of shapes and hues revealed by electromagnetic and microscopic photography; even in the dimensions of abstract mathematical concepts. From these, Sally extracts ideas for simple and complex arrangements that exhibit nature’s unusual color combinations. Then she weaves her vision into being using rattan, palm, metals and other materials.

The Artist

“After weaving artistic works for nearly 45 years, I still continue to push the definition of “basketry”; to increase the complexity of my work; to stimulate the imagination of the viewer; and to create beauty.”

“I began collecting baskets as a teenager in Southern California - always searching the local shops for the most unusual ones, never thinking about where they came from. The synchronicity and realization of my live long love basketry came full circle after moving to Michigan as an adult years later.”

“My life altering moment occurred the day I happened upon a new craft shop announcing “Basket Classes”. I instantly envisioned that once I learned to make baskets I would combine the traditional craft of basketry with my arts background to create organic sculptural designs unlike anything I’d ever seen. Before I knew it, the images in my head were becoming a reality. My traditional basketry weaving techniques enabled me to develop my very own art form by freely using my imagination and creative interests.”

Though retired from traveling to exhibit and sell her work, Sally is honored to have succeeded doing that for 33 years. Her work continues to be recognized. A few pieces still are available and she is not opposed to taking commissions if the job is interesting.