American Chestnut Large Spoon

I began carving wooden spoons as a result of my work as a naturalist and my experience with art and photography. I have learned that each branch holds a different spoon within its shape. By training the eye to read the wood, my purpose as the woodcarver is to reveal the spoon that is hidden inside.
I prefer to use hand tools during my entire process as I feel this allows me to follow the wood’s natural growth in shaping a spoon. My work site is a wooden chair beside the wood stove where I carve on winter evenings or on the front porch during the summer. Each location require a big red dog lying comfortably nearby.
My spoons come from locally sourced hardwoods located less than 10 miles from my home in Plymouth, New Hampshire. I use a variety of fruit trees including apple, cherry and peach, but also use red maple, beech, and American chestnut. Woody shrubs, including witch hazel, rhododendron, dogwood, and winter-berry holly provide good quality wood for spoons too.