wisteria

This year I was living in Oregon City and working in Portland for a landscaping/gardening crew. I cut a good sized trunk of a wisteria vine one day on a job. This spoon came out of it for my dear friend Molly Elisa. Most of my spoons perch nicely, balanced on their center point.

Chai's spoon

This spoon was made as a gift for a man from Thailand named Chai who gave me some massage on Orcas Island last summer. It is made from Oregon big leaf maple.

This spoon was made as a gift for a man from Thailand named Chai who gave me some massage on Orcas Island last summer. It is made from Oregon big leaf maple.

Scotch Broom

When I was in Humboldt County this early March and did some work clearing invasive weeds I kept aside the largest section of scotch broom trunk for carving. It is a fairly soft, but very sturdy wood, and was a pleasure to carve. It was completed in just two sittings, which is rare for me. The brown streak on the handle was a pleasant surprise. To me it gives the impression of a wound or shadow being overtaken, healed by the light. It is part of the overall beauty of the spoon.

This spoon was sold 4/8/2017 in silent auction to benefit my friend, a wonderful woman named Thea Davis towards her healing.

moon spoon

Way back in 2014 I made this strange and beautiful spoon from lilac wood for my dear friend Laughing Moon. This warrior of the heart is the founder of Superhero Training Academy. Notice the moon in the handle?
(he took the pictures)

These spoons were made in the winter of 2016-17 for two sisters who I love dearly: Shelby and Kendra. One is birch and the other is a wood I have yet to identify. It might be walnut or some other nut.

Souper salad tongs!

This is my first foray into larger non-spoon utensils. The beautiful madrona wood came from my good friend Reivka on Orcas Island. She had been saving this wood for years and I knew what this branch was for when I found it in her wood shed. This was a commission for Elaine Prouty.

maple marriage spoon

         The wood that kept me warm while house sitting for my friends was mostly maple. I set aside some pieces for possibly carving into spoons, and got right into shaping this one shard that I got a good feeling from. It was thin enough that maybe I wouldn't have to remove as much to reveal the finished piece. The idea came up early in the process to support a narrow neck with some kind of bridging. Only once before have I tried this, with that one ocean spray spoon who's handle is a leaf shape. That one has a heart supporting the stem. What came up for this one was two rings, or hoops. To me these shapes represent beings. The two here I decided represent Nathan and Sage. They are linked in partnership and support the fragile beauty of what is created between them. I also came to see two peace signs being created by the crossing of the two hoops and neck of the spoon. A marriage can be a haven of peace. Can you find the two peace signs in these pictures?
I was so grateful for this time in the cozy home Nathan and Sage have made their own with such care. Guess I kind of turned it into an artist residency!
(thanks mom for encouraging me to snap these shots with your phone camera at the last minute! i couldn't do this without generous help from friends and family.)