Clair Murphy
Clair Murphy is a weaver and teacher based in Wales who has had nearly twenty years of experience crafting handmade baskets. Having developed an interest in basketmaking in 2004, she took courses at City Lit College in London between 2007 and 2011 where she earned an advanced diploma in Creative Basketmaking. Murphy uses English Rush, (Scheonoplectus Lacustris), also known as Club or Coopers’ Rush, for her weaving, which she typically harvests in Somerset over the summer, wading into the water in a wetsuit to do so. The cyclical nature of harvesting, drying, and weaving—a process unique to the natural materials she uses—is a source of inspiration. Nothing can be hurried. While Murphy allows herself to be led by the material, she is fascinated by structure, which is why the majority of her baskets are intended for use—a constant interplay between beauty and function.