Fine Art of Carving Lovespoons

Name: Fine Art of Carving Lovespoons
Brand: David Western
SKU: 3744
Price: 24.95 USD
Availability: InStock

Pages	200
Publish Date	2008-10-01
Series
Size	8.5" x 11.0" x 0.4724"
Author	David Western
Product Form	Paperback / softback

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Ellis Walentine, Woodcentral.com

Across northern and eastern Europe and parts of Africa, a richly symbolic and highly personal decorative art form has evolved over the past four centuries: the art of carving lovespoons. Most often imbued with details representing love or romantic intentions, lovespoons have varied greatly in design and degree of complexity, depending on the emotional intent, cultural background, creativity and carving skills of the maker. In the past several decades, lovespoons have enjoyed a resurgence of popularity and a corresponding increase in their symbolic and expressive vocabulary. In this book, the author, David Western, a Welshman now living in Victoria, BC, Canada, presents a clear, beautifully illustrated and photographed, step

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Australian Woodworker

As reviewed in The Australian Woodworker Issue 147 The lovespoon is believed to have originated from the simple soup spoon. Just why anyone got the idea of converting such a plain and utilitarian item into an article of dedication and devotion, is hard to say. Yet the process appears to have occurred in several countries, for the Scandinavians, Europeans, Africans and (most famously) the Welsh, all have the tradition of carving lovespoons as a token of love and affection. The lovespoon is made from a single piece of wood and although it may be so richly decorated as to no longer be able to serve as a spoon, the spoon shape is essential to its design. David Western, the author of this book, sees lovespoon carving as 'a vibrant and exciting art form, not only because of its beautiful carvings, but also because of its rich tradition and its relevance to modern times'. David begins his book with what he terms an Historical Perspective, tracing the history of the lovespoon and indicating how the student may gain further insights into their design. Chapter 2 explores Myths and Meanings

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how before advancing on to projects, designs and patterns for you to adapt. Fine Art of Carving Lovespoons is truly a great resource packed full of everything you need to know surrounding the legend of the lovespoon, and how to carve and develop them to your own style.

David Western is something of an expert when it comes to carving lovespoons, so it is of interest to see that he has put pen to paper and gathered his knowledge to share his passion for this centuries' old art. The carved lovespoon has long been regarded as a symbol of love and devotion but has come to represent more of a presentation gift in today's modern world. Whichever way we look at this wooden spoon, none can argue its appeal to carvers for its decorative nature and exploration of skill. David explores in interesting detail the history behind the lovespoon and how it has evolved today with beautiful photographic examples from carvers past and present, before moving on to educate the reader on understanding wood, tools of the trade and sharpening. Once these have been digested, we are taken through a course of technical know

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Betsy Engel, Fine Woodworking

Fine Art of Carving Lovespoons not only gives you the lowdown on carving but it also tells the history, and myths and meanings behind lovespoons. Once you've read about the basics including the types of wood, tools, sharpening, techniques and finishing, the author provides step

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4 Particularly in Wales, where Western is from, but also throughout the Celtic world generally and in other countries as well, there is a long tradition of young men carving elaborate spoons for their sweethearts, presumably an elaboration of demonstrating that he could and would carve practical spoons and other implements for his future family. Now based in British Columbia, Western has turned from cabinet and furniture maker to artist. He explains and colorfully illustrates the history of the art, the wood, the tools, techniques from novice to advanced, and design. He also provides patterns. (Annotation 2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Fine art of carving lovespoons; understanding, designing, and carving romantic heirlooms. Western, David. Photographs by Chris Roberts. Fox Chapel Publishing, 2009 185 p. $24.95 TT199978

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Dr. Steven R. Brandt, Woodcarver Online Magazine

I started out with the idea of comparing David Western's Fine Art of Carving Lovespoons to Carving Spoons by Shirley Adler, since Matt Kelly had told me there had not been a review of Adler's book in WOM. Both are published by Fox Chapel, which would seem to put them at odds with each other. Such is not the case, however; all I can say about David Western's book is "Wow, this is over

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day and ancient lovespoons is provided with the text. His book has been commended by the curator of the St. Fagan.s Natural History Museum in Wales, reputedly the origin of the lovespoon.

Initially stimulated by his casual interest in Welsh lovespoons, selftaught craftsman David Western now teaches lovespoon carving at Camosun College and makes his living primarily by carving lovespoons to order. His Fine Art of Carving Lovespoons is a guide to the enduring craft of presenting ornate spoons as a token of affection. In addition to three step

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Ceri Shaw, AmeriCymru

It is with great pride and pleasure that we feature the work of David Western in this post. He is a lovespoon carver from Cardiff, currently residing in Vancouver B.C., and has just published a book on the art of creating the lovespoon, Fine Art of Carving Lovespoons: Understanding, Designing and Creati..., Fox Chapel Publishing (October 1, 2008). Pictures of some of his beautiful work are on our Pictures tab and can be seen below: Find more photos like this on Americymru Just the thing for St. Dwynwyn's Day or, if you must, St Valentines, or even Christmas for that special someone. You can contact David or leave him comments on his Americymru page here. David's website gives his bio: "I was born in Cardiff, Wales but now live in Victoria, BC, Canada. A graduate of the University of British Columbia and a cabinetmaker by trade, I hold City and Guilds Certification in both cabinet making and furniture design from the UK and Canadian Inter

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Woodworker's Journal

I've got a lot of wooden spoons in my kitchen, and I can assure you not one of them bears the slightest resemblance to what David Western carves. His are spoons in name only. A far more accurate description would be "intricate portable carved wooden art," but for Dave, they are even more than that. For him, they encompass history, tradition, romance, and perhaps most important of all, Welsh pride. "I was born in Cardiff, Wales," Dave recounted when I asked him about his woodworking past, "and my family emigrated to Canada when I was a kid. I never really did any woodworking until high school, where I had a really good shop teacher who got me fired up about cabinetmaking. While I was in university, I worked for a cabinetmaker during the summers and a kitchen cabinet shop during the year. "After college, I went to Europe to travel and discovered the London College of Furniture. I took an accelerated course because I already had woodworking experience, and a year later emerged with a 'City and Guilds accreditation in cabinetmaking.' I came back to Canada and started my own cabinetmaking shop, but a few years later went to work with a friend's company. I wanted to get my journeyman's papers, which helped get union jobs, and tested out of the coursework by simply passing the final exam. "Back when I was about 14, my family went to Wales, where I first came across love spoons. For many years, I would occasionally make one. About 10 years ago I started researching love spoons and got into them seriously. The more I delved into it, the more passionate I got about them. For me, they represented a connection to my roots and allowed me to celebrate my Welsh pride. About three years ago, I gave up cabinetmaking entirely to concentrate full

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Highland Woodworking

Learn to create beautiful lovespoons

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a unique gift idea with Valentine's Day just around the corner. For 20 years, Western has been creating beautiful, intricate Welsh lovespoons, traditionally crafted from a single piece of wood by a man trying to demonstrate his devotion to his beloved. In this book, from Fox Chapel Publishing, "20 years of lovespoon carving experience has been distilled into a book which I think is the most complete look at lovespoons and lovespoon carving currently available," Western says.