Huge-13" dia ROBIN -porcupine quill/rnd coil sweetgrass basket -P St John-Mohawk

Description

This cheery quill robin is sitting on an apple branch with 3 blossoms ... looking very life-like. This is one of
Paul St John, Mohawk craftsman's largest coiled sweet grass baskets!  It is the largest one I have been able to
offer.
Porcupine quills make up the design on the lid's large center birch bark medallion and coiled tidal sweetgrass is used for the basket's sides on lid and bottom.
This basket
has birch bark at center of lid and used as the bottom -  then co
iled tidal sweetgrass.  It is 13" in diameter and about 3" high.  The birch bark medallion at lid's center is 11.75" in diameter.  Robin is 7.5" long, branch is about 10.5" long.  As the grass dries (you need to coil and weave it wet) it pulls a bit on the lid and bottom birch bark centers  - so there is slight unevenness in lid and bottom surfaces.  -  It adds depth and interest to the background of the quilled robin....
This robin is of black, yellow and orange dyed quills - there is a bit of natural white quill used on throat and bird's bottom.  It stands on a brown dyed quill "branch" with a bit of dyed green quill for the stems of the white and yellow blossoms. Paul uses the darker quill tips for the very end of  robin's yellow beak - very realistic!   The outer border of the lid's birch bark medallion is of yellow dyed quills.
Tidal sweetgrass is very time consuming to pick, dry, comb and coil - the amount used in this piece is over 1# in weight....  Impressive piece in it's artistry and the value of the materials in it!
Paul St. John now lives in Maine.  He is an enrolled Mohawk tribal member.   He grew up on the Mohawk lands in New York, his father's homeland.  His mother is Passamaquoddy/MicMac/Maliseet - When I saw his work I knew immediately I needed to offer his great baskets.  While quill work and coiled sweetgrass baskets are  historically Maine Indian traditional crafts, currently no one here but Paul St. John is actively practicing this craft.  -  Passamaquoddy basket makers, Jeremy Frey and Otter, both have used some quill work on their baskets...  but quill work on coiled sweetgrass baskets are Paul St John's specialty.
Paul is shown in slideshow above with 2 of his works - one of them is a coiled sweetgrass basket with a side facing cardinal.   He not only does sweetgrass coil baskets and porcupine quill work on birch bark -- but also amazing dolls, Iroquois beadwork, MicMac beadwork,  great moccasins, knife sheaths, medicine bags and so much more!  He is truly a man of many (many many) talents!
Watch this store for more of his pieces.  Can't wait to see what he is going to create next.