The Cherry Blossom Lovespoon Has now been completed and awaits the return of my daughter, Jessica and her husband Brad from their honeymoon. This spoon was carved from a single piece of english cherry and finished with danish oil and wax.
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Lovespoon Front
in frame |
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Lovespoon Back
in frame |
The spoon is about 380 mm long, 125 mm wide and 22 mm deep. It is panel like in form but heavily pierced and multi-layered. There is a swivel at the top of the panel which encloses a heart-shaped area with under-cut initials of the couple on the front and an inlaid contrasting timber heart on the back awaiting a suitable inscription.
The sides of the panel continue down enclosing some celtic knot-work and join with the cherry blossom branches that form a wide flat cage with a carved loose heart inside.
There were some tricky aspects and difficulties to overcome in carving, not to mention finishing, some of these features which I have already mentioned in the earlier posts about carving this particular spoon. Just a side note – it is a curious expression we have in english 'not to mention' and it's always used when it is precisely our intention to mention the thing. You see the finishing could have gone on forever and as I had a deadline I had to just let things be in some areas.
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| Cherry Blossom Lovespoon Back |
As is often the case, the wise thing is to try and surpass what the viewer expects by way of workmanship and the finish, wherever it is conspicuous and also provide some little 'going of the extra mile' for them to find for themselves in the work but somehow to still also observe an economy of means in the whole work.
I'm still trying to learn this wisdom, there is only so much time available for the task and you need to make effort count. I have tended to attack my carving work in the same way I ran a 440 yards race back in high school days, I had to use my speed early so I would go out fast for the first 250 coast a little when I had no choice but to and finish as best I could.
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| Cherry Blossom Lovespoon Front |
Finishing is all important in woodcrafts though, it's the first noticed when a close view is taken (doesn't digital photography take you disconcertingly close though!) and it's the last thing remembered. Though the finish has this prime importance so does planning have it's own special importance. How an extra few millimetres would have helped in the thickness of the timber if I'd had it.
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Cherry Blossom Lovespoon Top Back
with heart inlay and swivel |
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| Cherry Blossom Lovespoon Front Detail Knot-work and cage |
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| Cherry Blossom Lovespoon Front Detail Knot-work and cage |
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| Cherry Blossom Lovespoon Back Detail Knot-work and cage with captured Heart |
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| Back Detail, Knot-work and Caged Heart |
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| Back Detail, cage |
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| Back Detail, cage |
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| Back Detail, Knot-work and Caged Heart |
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| Front Detail, Knot-work and Caged Heart |
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| Front Detail, Under-cut initials of couple on Heart |
Just SO BEAUTIFUL! Another amazing triumph for you! Great pictures, too. I know what you mean about trying to be reasonable with finishing. It's a difficult dilemma. I think "above and beyond" is maybe the defining characteristic of your work, though. ;) Lovely.
ReplyDeleteThank you Laura for the kind comments. I know that you take your work to a very high finish, even raising the grain between grits. That's commitment!
ReplyDeleteI went part way, taking your lead in this regard. This time I used a very dilute, de-waxed white shellac wash as a sanding sealer. It's supposed to raise the grain just a little but also make the raised fibres brittle and more easily sanded back. I only did this once in the process though.