KATHERINE MILES

WILLOW ARTIST
Stone Lane Gardens, near Chagford.
 

Famed throughout the South West for her life-sized willow animal sculptures, Katherine's work is displayed in stately homes, private gardens and as interior design pieces. 

Katherine's studio is a sight in itself. Nestled in an arboretum in Chagford's Stone Lane Gardens, it's crammed with sculptures of beasts, including highland cows, pigs, horses, deer, donkeys, sheep, goats, hares, owls, llamas, foxes, swans and birds of prey.

It takes Katherine up to 10 days to create one sculpture, with horses the most complex because of their fine muscle definition. 

Groups of animals - a mother and baby, a family, or a pack of animals - are Katherine's favourite type of commission because, she says, "it's as if there's communication going on between them."

Katherine says: "There's something about texture, the smell and feel of weaving with willow. It has a rustic, earthiness to it. It's very grounding."

Katherine stops short of giving her animals names, but she says she gets very attached to each one. "When I weave their faces, the animals come alive and become their own characters. I end up missing them when I sell them."

HOW TO BOOK:

Email:  katherine.miles@btinternet.com
Phone: 07762 387347
Website: www.artisan-willow.com

FREE DROP-IN
Visit Katherine in her workshop and watch her weave her beautiful animal sculptures. Open 11am-3pm Monday to Friday, but best call ahead to check she is in. Saturdays by appointment. Stone Lane arboretum is open all year round. Visit the website for opening hours. 

WEAVE A WILLOW BIRD FEEDER
During this one-hour workshop, Katherine will teach you how to make your own willow bird feeder. Cost: £30 for two people and £5 for each extra person.

WEAVE A WILLOW DRAGONFLY
Learn how to weave a three-foot willow dragonfly on this two-and-a-half hour workshop. Cost: £35 per person, with a minimum of four people.