Since childhood, Martha Lawrence summered in Nantucket - the third generation of a family of artists who drew inspiration from the island. Summers were spent exploring moors, beaches, wharves and museums or watching her grandfather carve ships' figureheads in his harborside shop. Such experiences instilled in her a profound appreciation for both Nantucket's heritage and the elements of fine craftsmanship.

Her Nantucket ties were strengthened in adulthood when, after graduation from Simmons College, she married into a Nantucket family. During subsequent periods spent living on the island, she developed a long held interest in Nantucket Lightship Baskets and studied the art with island basketmakers who generously shared their knowledge.

For the last twenty years she has been constructing Nantucket Lightship Baskets. Her work is found in collections both in the United States and abroad and was selected to be in a Smithsonian exhibition of American crafts at the 1996 Olympics. The 1990 publication of her book, Lightship Baskets of Nantucket, established her as an authority on both the history and contemporary status of the art. Scrimshaw, the Whaler's Legacy, the result of her research into the related art of scrimshaw, was published three years later. She continues to author articles on the subject.

As well as creating baskets, she teaches workshops at art associations and basketry gatherings around the country and lectures on both basketry and scrimshaw.

Commissions: Martha will create for you a customized basket of whatever size, shape or purpose suits your needs. It can be further personalized with adornments of scrimshaw or ivory carvings created by one of the country's finest scrimshaw artists.

Workshops: Create your own heirloom under Martha's careful tutelage. From this pleasurable experience, you will take away not only a beautifully crafted basket but the knowledge to make more on your own.