Willow Bascom

Willow Bascom is an award-winning author and illustrator whose colorful, multi-cultural art is inspired by a childhood of world travels.

She was born in Texas, but at the age of 4, her sea-captain father's work took the family to the Persian Gulf for seven years and then to Panama, where they lived until she graduated high school.

While her father worked the sea, she and her mother traveled the lands of Europe, Asia, North Africa, and South and Central America. Everywhere they went, young Willow noticed the differences and similarities in how people decorated their homes, their public places, their possessions, and even their own bodies. Her fascination with decorative styles, colors, and people taught her that art is everywhere.

The basis of her distinctive art style is the mola, an intricate multi-layered fabric art of the Kuna People of Panama. She has expanded on that foundation by overlaying it with patterns, styles, and colors adapted from the cultures of indigenous people around the world, resulting in a vibrant blend of tradition and innovation.

Self-trained, Willow's artistic career began when she contracted lupus, which made it impossible for her to work outside the home. Now, with her lupus under control, she also facilitates workshops on living well with chronic illness.

Willow invites you to visit www.WillowDraws.com to see more of her work.