Biography

Sally Prangley blends traditional basketry and wirework techniques to create her unusual and elegant wire baskets. All work is done by hand, freeform, using only wire and paper. Baskets are created one at a time and begin with a rough sketch. Her favorite wires are stainless steel, annealed steel, bronze, and copper. Prangley learned traditional basketry years ago, believing that someday she would create baskets using alternative materials. While taking a workshop on wire, the light bulb lit up inside her head to use wire for baskets. Sally has drawn, painted, and created mixed-media art all her life and is largely self-taught. She minored in art history at Northwestern University and received her MBA in marketing from the George Washington University.

Artist Statement

Wire, paper, and found objects are old friends of mine. For most of my jewelry, wire acts as the outline when seen, and armature when unseen/hidden. It also visually and physically links components together. For wire + found object jewelry, I've worked with found objects for decades. In my found object jewelry (earrings, brooches, necklaces) wire outlines a single object or grouping of objects. This outline wire is hammered to work harden, then wrapped with a fine gauge wire. A thread wire is used to attach all objects within their outlines. Overall, I look for balanced asymmetry in my designs. All pieces are titled which reflects the concept behind them.