Mandy Coates

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Basketry

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Basgedwaith

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Mandy Coates has been living and working as a basket maker in North Wales for over 30 years. Alongside her partner Adrian Farey, they have made a home in the Elwy Valley that is handmade in every sense: from the gates and fences to the green oak outbuildings; the log baskets and trays to the entire interior of their house. They are committed makers of things, and passionate about keeping the local economy alive.

Mandy was inspired to take up basketry by Sheila Wynter, a nationally-renowned basket maker from Stroud, who she met at a festival whilst working at a vineyard in Gloucestershire. It was a pivotal moment, setting the course for her life and career since. Starting as a traditional basket maker, rooted in time, place and function, weaving essentially practical, functional baskets, her work has evolved over the years to include more decorative pieces, but always using traditional forms to create her contemporary designs.

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Mae Mandy Coates wedi bod yn byw ac yn gweithio fel gwneuthurwr basgedi yng ngogledd Cymru ers dros 30 mlynedd. Ochr yn ochr â’i phartner Adrian Farey, mae wedi creu cartref yn Nyffryn Elwy a wnaed â llaw ym mhob ystyr; o’r giatiau a’r ffensys i’r tai allan o dderw glas; y basgedi boncyffion a’r hambyrddau i du mewn cyfan eu tŷ. Maen nhw’n wneuthurwyr ymroddedig o bethau, ac yn angerddol dros gadw’r economi leol yn fyw.

Ysbrydolwyd Mandy i ymgymryd â basgedwaith gan Sheila Wynter, gwneuthurwr basgedi o fri cenedlaethol o Stroud, a gyfarfu mewn gŵyl pan oedd hi’n gweithio mewn gwinllan yn Swydd Gaerloyw. Roedd hi’n foment allweddol, a osododd lwybr ei bywyd a’i gyrfa ers hynny. Gan ddechrau fel gwneuthurwr basgedi traddodiadol, wedi’i wreiddio mewn amser, lleoliad a diben, a phlethu basgedi a oedd yn eu hanfod yn ymarferol a ffwythiannol, mae ei gwaith wedi esblygu dros y blynyddoedd i gynnwys darnau mwy addurnol, ond yn gyson ddefnyddio ffurfiau traddodiadol i greu ei chynlluniau cyfoes.

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