Dorothy McGuinness took her first basket making class in 1987. Traditional American and Native American styles have influenced her work. Using many traditional and native materials, she studied basket weaving techniques that have been handed down through the centuries. Dorothy has studied extensively with Jiro Yonezawa, a Japanese basket maker and teacher. She discovered her medium of choice in 2000, when she took a workshop with Jackie Abrams using watercolor paper as a basket weaving material. Dorothy now works exclusively in diagonal twills, creating contemporary sculptural baskets. She approaches her work as a puzzle which drives her to discover new shapes and weaving innovations. Dorothy is also very much interested in the math and geometric constraints of the work. Using hundreds of strips of paper at a time, she explores new structural forms. Dorothy has participated in numerous local, national and international shows and has won various national and international awards. In 2007 she participated in a Fiber Arts Certificate Program at the University of Washington Professional and Continuing Education School. She also participated in the EDGE professional development program sponsored by Artist Trust in Seattle, Washington. She was born in 1961 in Western Washington and currently resides in Everett, Washington.