of the most prized baskets in the world. Much of Arlene’s earlier work resembles the shape and design of basketry of that time period.  Her current work however, has taken on a freer form and is highly influenced by natural elements of her island surroundings. Throughout Arlene’s work she uses stones, beads, cordage and silk floss to compliment the natural colors of the cured grass. These embellishments woven into her work present an abstractness in an otherwise very refined piece of art. The embroidery-like work in the weaving is not applied with a needle. Called “false embroidery”, it is a method where the silk floss is wrapped around a strand of grass, so it becomes part of the twining. For Arlene, the embroidery work is a challenge in both design and color.  She approaches each piece as a work in progress and sometimes it takes several tries to make a basic color design work. Arlene often starts an art piece with an idea of the finished look, but finds that she must make changes along the way to work with the grass. Because she’s committed to the process of creating, she has learned to allow the natural grass to play a part in the shape of the basket. Ultimately, the quality of the grass dictates the final outcome of the piece. That is why each season, it is so important to follow a disciplined curing process in order to get a good supply of high quality grass.