'Cariad' Welsh Lovespoon Finished

The 'cariad' Spoon is now finished. I changed my mind about trying to fill the grain of the walnut and decided a flattish, subtle sheen would look best in this dark wood. Smooth and inviting to the touch but without the myriad of specular highlights that might confusingly emanate from – all the ridges, of all the components, at all their various levels, all at once – if a high gloss finish was used.

There are times when a much higher gloss would be appropriate but with the elements of visual interest being at so many different levels in the carving, a finish that allows the light to gradually and softly reflect from the surfaces each in their own turn is the best way, in this case, for the carving to tell its story. The slight openness of grain in the walnut still remains as I have used a penetrating finishing oil consisting mostly of true tung oil and other organic oils. This allows the woodiness of the walnut to remain un-submerged but simply modified in a way natural to the timber.

Daylight and indoor lighting bring out some different colour moods from the dark walnut.

The grain pattern of the walnut by way of 'happy accident' provided the banded patterning on the foremost canadian goose in a very useful way helping to establish its identity at least a little, where shape alone was all that the dark timber could be hoped to provide.

The back of the spoon shows the re-growing tree stump, the heart motif and the merging of the rocks, celtic knots and gear fragments. With the bowl of the spoon joining up through the connecting rod to the rocks.

Resting just above the bowl of the spoon is the captured ring representing the 'Iron Ring' worn by Canadian engineers.