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Artist Weaves Willow Rods To Make Fantastical Forest Sculptures

If you have an extraordinary gift that can bring ordinary things to life, that's truly something special. That's exactly what this amazing artist from Great Britain does.

Anna and the Willow creates incredible works of art out of woven rods of willow and makes them look like they're just part of nature around them. Looking at her life-size pieces will make you want to appreciate natural beauty even more.

Anna lives near Ripon, North Yorkshire.

She loves to work with natural and sustainable material grown in England. Anna craves a deep creative connection with the natural world.

She also loves to work with her hands, therefore, she enjoys creating, designing, drawing, making, weaving and always learning.

Having a fascination with animals, she also studied zoology.

Working with a special medium like willow rods, Anna was able to combine two of her passions to create something really unique and amazing in her works of art.

Isn't this incredible?

She's truly a master of outdoor sculptures which are all inspired by nature.

And she uses the traditional skills of basketry and her own creative skills to make her pieces.

It's been now 11 years since Anna first began working with willow.

Back then she took a sculpting course over one weekend to learn to better her skills.

Her most impressive piece to date is definitely "The Huntress of Skipton Castle Woods".

This nine-foot figurative sculpture depicting a woman who’s shooting a bow and arrow is really stunning.

Anna's creative process begins with her planning and hand-drawing each piece before she renders them from bespoke steel frames.

Then she wraps them with interwoven willow rods to create shapes.

She likes to place the sculptures amongst nature in order for them to look as if they really belong there.

I think that makes them even more special indeed.

Anna has also taken on one of the most ancient forms of art in the history of mankind which is basket-weaving.

She's added a modern twist on this technique.

She also runs workshops in her studio so other people can learn to weave baskets and enjoy weaving themselves

I bet learning from her is an awesome experience.

I can't believe some people take an ancient art like basket-weaving to a new level.

Anna sounds like a wonderful artist who truly loves to do what she does.