Basket maker Anna Liebmann works from her studio in Portobello, just outside Edinburgh, where she creates beautifully crafted baskets from locally grown willow.
Basketry is one of the oldest crafts there is, but in Anna’s hands it feels both timeless and quietly contemporary. Each piece begins as lengths of willow which are soaked, softened and then carefully woven by hand into strong, functional forms. It’s a slow, physical process that demands patience and skill, but the results are objects of remarkable strength and beauty.
What has always struck me about Anna’s work is just how solid and enduring it feels. Baskets today are easy to find everywhere from IKEA to B&M, but they rarely have the substance or craftsmanship of something made by hand. When you handle one of Anna’s baskets you can immediately feel the difference.
The willow has a wonderful weight and strength to it, the weave tight and considered. These are not throwaway household objects but pieces made slowly and made well - the sort of baskets that will live in a home for decades and likely be passed on again.
Anna works from her small workshop in Portobello, continuing a craft that has been practiced for centuries, but bringing her own eye for shape and proportion to every piece she makes.
