What I make is usually dependent on what bits of tree become available. Responding to each piece is a fun challenge. When I checked out a small cherry tree that had fallen over in a yard, it had already been cut into various lengths. I split open this short chunk, only about a foot long, with a little upward curve and a striking band of heartwood.

I wanted to keep a lot of that heartwood streak. Long “handles”, like in the Bowl-from-a-Plank design, would allow for that. But this piece of wood wouldn’t fit that exact design. So, I thought about distorting the Bowl-from-a-Plank design, much like you could distort an image of Snoopy from the Sunday comics with Silly Putty. The sketchbook page above reflects some of this mental Silly Putty stretching. The bowl with the red arrows is the Bowl-from-a-Plank (underside), and the rest represent the design for this bowl.

There’s the underside of a Bowl-from-a-Plank, above…

…and a similar view of this latest bowl. The areas beneath the handles are slightly hollow along their lengths and widths.

The layout for this one is just freehand sketching. A spoon-bent gouge was needed to shape the steep tight hollow. The hollow itself is 4 1/2″ x 3 3/4″, a nice size for candy or olives.

This bowl is available for purchase. Overall dimensions are 11 1/4″ long, 5 1/2″ wide, 2 3/8″ high. If you’re interested, please email me at dandkfish@gmail.com. $600 includes shipping. SOLD

And now for the spoons…

Normally, I wait until I have more spoons before posting a group, but I know it will be a while before I can get to more (other projects underway). So here are three spoons, all from crooks, finished with pure refined cold-pressed linseed oil and cured in my kiln. Ready to serve. Again, if you’re interested, email me at dandkfish@gmail.com and let me know if you’d prefer to receive a PayPal invoice or send a check. Thanks for looking.

#1: Maple, 12 1/2″ x 3″. The shape of this maple crook called for a ladle with a wide shallow bowl. The second photo gives a better indication of the relatively tight bend from handle to bowl. You can reach deep into the pot. Chip carved handle. $150 includes shipping. SOLD

#2: Cherry, 12 1/2″ x 2 1/4″. This is a good general use kitchen spoon for stirring, cooking, serving or whatever. Carved from the sapwood of a black cherry crook. Handle detail below. $150 includes shipping. SOLD

#3: Maple, 11 1/4″ x 2 1/8″. Another good general use spoon. A little more crank than the cherry one above. The handle was textured with a narrow gouge then painted with artist-oils (linseed oil and pigment), black over blue. $140 includes shipping. SOLD

I couldn’t resist adding some goldenrod and aster blossoms to the bowl photos. The goldenrod is in full bloom all along the trail. The colors of fall are coming.