James Eaves, Jr.

I have always enjoyed the outdoors. I graduated from high school in upstate New York in 1978, and have been working with wood since the year 2000. Basket making became my favorite pastime since that time, when it was recommended to me as an exercise to strengthen my fingers after a severe hand accident. My first exposure to black ash baskets was from a well known basket maker and storyteller by the name of Bill Smith. He taught me firsthand how to take black ash tree and turn it into a basket. For the past seven years I have been making baskets from trees. Thanks to Bill Smith and other experienced basket makers, my baskets have juried into the best of West Virginia Crafts at Tamarack, Mountain Made, and Lost River Museum.