About
Former Royal Ballet Principal Dancer, and now the Willow Man, Bruce describes his practice as ‘geometric creativity meets aesthetic functionality’. He retired from the Royal Ballet in 2000, moving to the beautiful landscape around Hawick in the Scottish Borders, and took up basketry with a Northumbrian basket group around five years ago. After an initial two-day course he was hooked and now devotes his life to creating fine woven basketry pieces on his remote farm where he has crafted the variety of baskets he is making for Curator&Maker, using his own designs in the weaving of the willow. He incorporates willows of different colours and textures, some coming from Somerset and some proudly grown by Bruce himself, to produce subtle designs within his creations, and constantly quests for different weaves based on traditional techniques from Ireland to Spain. For Curator&Maker he is making beautiful flower and fishing baskets as well as a variety of other designs.
