Diverse experiences merge in Herman’s background. A
native of West Texas, Herman Guetersloh was an established
farmer and businessman. With the early seventies came a
life-style change as he moved to Houston to study Civil
Engineering, obtaining Bachelor’s and Master’s
degrees from Rice University with an emphasis on Structural
Engineering. While working in the engineering field, he
carved a career in art – creating unique structural
basketry forms.
“As a contemporary basket weaver, I place strong
emphasis on both form and color. My work has evolved from
that of a simple, single-wall, traditional basket using
natural flat and round reeds to that of double-wall,
contemporary basketry focusing on sculpture rather than
function. My primary concern is constructing sculptural
forms that utilize colors in an array of abstract patterns.
Each piece must be unique. My baskets never look the same
and will not have uniformity of shape, color, pattern or
size in a series. Each new basket is an experiment and
thus, my work is continually changing.”