Four years ago, while we were all still under pandemic restrictions, Elia Bizzari turned lemons into lemonade by asking some of his fellow craftspersons to make a series of live interactive instructional videos with him. I jumped in for bowl carving while Peter Follansbee, Jane Mickelborough, and Curtis Buchanan each did their own take on spoon carving. Jane also did one on carving fan birds. Elia just announced a sale on these videos, half price through September 1.

I was in my shop, Elia was in his, and all of the class attendees from all over the place were in their homes, but we were all together on the screen. There were some interesting advantages to the format. For one, folks were able to join in from far away. Also, the participants were able to ask questions mid-process, so clarifications could be made for the benefit of all. And there were tons of excellent questions! I demonstrated a step, then Elia carried out that step while adapting to the equipment and tools available in his shop. I offered suggestions along the way and answered questions, then we moved on to the next step. In the days between sessions, students worked on their own bowls, following the steps we had covered.

The sessions follow the process from a half log. My resulting sample bowl (seen above and below) began with a cherry log about 8″ in diameter and 15 1/2″ long. Alternatively, you could follow along and do just fine with a dry length of 4×6 timber, say 14-16″ long — ideally something like basswood or poplar if you’re working dry wood. This class focuses on the concepts and skills that can be used and adapted for a variety of styles and designs, even your first time through. No carved flutes required!

Every minute was recorded. Three sessions for a total of over 9 hours of instruction. You have unlimited access to the recordings and you can pause, rewind, fast forward and so on. Here’s the link to Elia’s website for the bowl carving series. And here’s the link to all of the videos by Peter, Jane, and Curtis.

There’s a unique benefit to in-person instruction. But that doesn’t work for everyone for a variety of reasons. This video series is an excellent alternative or supplement.

I’ve been working on a couple of bowls myself lately, but I always make time to carve a spoon when a good crook comes along. I’ve got a batch of 11 spoons (and spoon-related pieces) ready to post for sale tomorrow afternoon.