Local Artist Spotlight: Maggie Maker Evans

Welcome back to The Local Spotlight! If you’ve been following our short series, you already know that North Wales is brimming with female-led talent and creativity. Today, for part four, we are sitting down with a local creator who has turned her passion into a staple of our community…

Sometimes, a change of scenery can rewrite your entire creative path. For master weaver Maggie Evans of Maggie Maker Evans, relocating to the Isle of Anglesey (Ynys Môn) didn’t just provide a new home – it introduced her to her true passion: the intoxicating craft of basketmaking.

With a background teaching art and a degree in woven textiles, Maggie was no stranger to structure and form, but a local weekend workshop completely transformed her relationship with natural materials. Today, Maggie creates stunning, organic-shaped baskets that capture the spirit of North Wales. Drawing raw inspiration directly from her daily dog walks through local woodlands and along the Menai Straits, she carefully selects willow combinations that mirror the breathtaking shifting color palette of the woods, beaches, and surrounding mountains. Deeply committed to her community, Maggie can often be found sharing her skills at public workshops, helping manage local nature reserves, or planting community willow beds.

We sat down with Maggie to talk about her creative awakening with willow, her ideal afternoon out at Pwllheli, and the inspiring fellow female makers she thinks you should be following.

Q: The Vision – what inspired me to bring basketry to North Wales? 

A: “For me it is the other way round – North Wales introduced me to basketry and inspired me to become a basket maker. Not long after relocating to Anglesey I attended a weekend basket workshop at Glynllifon with basket maker Mandy Coates, I liked baskets and like many people had quite a few at home but had never given much thought to how they had been made. Attending this workshop was quite a revelation and was the start of a creative journey that I am still discovering, developing and feel very passionate about. My degree was in woven textiles, and I taught art & textiles in school for many years, but I had never worked with willow. The smell and feel of this material was intoxicating.”

Q: The Connection – How does this community or landscape influence the way you work or what you offer?

A: “I considered myself incredibly fortunate where I live in Ynys Mon. From my front door I am able to walk my dogs everyday through the local woodland of birch, hazel and many more varieties of trees down to the coastline of the Menai straits which look across to the Carneddau and Eryri mountain range. My work draws inspiration from my local landscape of woods, beaches, and mountains, through choice of willow combinations reflecting the colour palette of my surroundings, and through form. In my current work I have been exploring weaving larger organic shaped baskets incorporating natural materials. Being connected to my surroundings and community is especially important to me and I am an active member of a local volunteer community group, ‘Grwp Natur Seiriol’, whose aim is to maintain and improve local nature reserves for the use of the local community. As part of the group’s wider community activities, I have taught various willow making workshops at public events, planted a community willow bed and a living dome in the village gardens. Participating in these events has established myself as a basket maker living in Anglesey and opened opportunities to teach basket making to local community groups, organisations such Menter Mon, private groups as well as courses organised by myself.“

Q: Perfect Day – If a holiday guest had just one afternoon to live like a local, where would you tell them to go?

A: “Difficult question to answer because there are so many possible answers… but I have decided on one place that I feel offers many different experiences in one location and that is Oriel Plas Glyn Y Weddw, Llanbedrog, Pwllheli. A beautiful art gallery, with changing exhibitions, set in amazing woodlands that lead onto the coastal path. Below the gallery you can walk down to a sandy beach for a dip if it takes your fancy or visit the cafe which makes amazing lunches and cakes… what more do you want for an afternoon out?“

Q: The Sisterhood – Is there another local woman in business or the arts whose work you truly admire?

A: “I’m going to be cheeky and mention 3 artist/ makers because all three mean a lot to me in different ways. Firstly I have to mention Mandy Coates, whose work you can find at Ruthin Craft Centre, the person who introduced and still inspires me as a maker. Local to me here on Ynys Mon the two artists I most admire are furniture maker and mix media artist Jo Alexander, exquisite Welsh stick back chairs, and who through collaborative pieces for recent exhibitions has inspired me to explore natural materials more in my own work. Last but not least potter Lillemor Latham aka the_crafty_guillemot beautiful stone glazed ware which is evocative of the local landscape… the new generation.“

Ready to try your hand at weaving? You can view Maggie’s stunning gallery of organic creations and keep an eye out for her upcoming willow workshops directly at maggie-maker-evans.com.

There is nothing quite like meeting the faces behind the places we love. Ready to swap the tourist traps for a truly authentic local experience? Browse our curated collection of holiday cottages and come meet our wonderful neighbours for yourself