Monday, January 18, 2016

A New Year and New Ideas

Bookmark and ShareA new year has arrived and it has only taken a couple of weeks for all my resolutions and plans to go out the window!!
I had intended unveiling a new webpage....which I haven't even begun designing yet.... and had hoped to be well underway on an exciting line of Scandinavian style spoons for my Nordic clientele.
Alas, the best laid plans and all that!!

I still plan to get all that done, but as with so many things, I don't know when!

In the meantime, I am busy writing a couple of articles for the excellent UK magazine Wood Carving. It is always exciting to be given the opportunity to pen an article, but I'm always very nervous worrying that I will be able to convey the information I want to describe in a way that is lively and engaging.  Ultimately, the goal is to pass along some of my hard-won experience and not to bore people to death.  Everything I know came at a price...often a very hard price...so being able to help others find the smooth path and avoid the pitfalls is a very satisfying thing!!

It is my hope that I can continue to push the boundaries of love spoon design while retaining tight contact with the venerable traditions of this rich craft!  Sometimes it frustrates me that the world of collectors and arty types pays such little attention to what I and other love spoon carvers are creating, but I take great pleasure from the joy my spoons elicit from those who receive them!

As I do every year, I will bemoan the state of my finances at tax time, but I can never deny that the happiness my spoons bring to my clients is at least some compensation!

With luck, I shall receive some commissions that push both my imagination and my technical abilities and with even greater luck, I shall be able to respond with more lovely spoons!

As always, my best wishes and heart felt thanks to everyone who has supported me over the years and to those who will come along in the future!

Here's to 2016!!