This spring, after my first spoon carving class of the season, I got a call from Lynne Rosetto Kasper, of the Splendid Table. She did a show about earthen ovens years ago, but wanted to talk spoons -- Wow! What could be more fun?! I sent her some spoons and a pages of enthusiastic spoon notes... But we needed a fancy sound room to do the interview; it took a few weeks of wrangling to schedule a time w/the folks at Oregon State U. in Corvallis. Ironically, the location was a brand new building called the Learning Integration Center. Tho it's beyond me how they hope to "integrate" . . .
2016 – Spoon-Carving Classes or Why it’s good to carve your own spoon
This summer, I'll be teaching three spoon carving classes, all on Saturdays: May 21 June 18 and August 20 Classes are hosted by friends Richard and Charlene at Nanacardoon, their wonderful 1.5 acre suburban food-forest/garden/learning ground. It was very popular (and fun) -- we spend a day learning about wood and basic axe and knife techniques so that everyone can go home w/a spoon. Click to see more about the class and to register (great grub included!) I'll also be teaching green woodworking at a couple of primitive skills gatherings: Buckeye, in CA, May 1 - 7 (already full) And . . .
Beauty and Building
It's hard to talk to people about beauty and building. Last fall, a friend of a friend came by to see what we're building. He looked appreciatively at our modest but well-built structure -- which I have been ornamenting by cutting curves in rafter tails and support brackets -- and said, "why are you spending all this time to cut fancy shapes when you have a house to build?" Before I could reply, he said, almost to himself, "Oh, you're an artist," as if that explained otherwise aberrant behavior, like a diagnosis of disease. It's the view from economic laws of production and . . .