MY WORK

  

 I am a woodworker for a simple reason, I love wood… I am drawn to the warmth, the softness, the beauty and the possibilities of wood. I believe that beautiful things made from wood can have a purpose beyond what pleases the eye, they should bring pleasure in use and that handmade things should be passed on from generation to generation. I try to achieve in my work, things that are upbeat, fresh and useful, sometimes fanciful and witty and always finely crafted, wonderful to touch. .

 





 

               

    I spent three years in the Fine Woodworking Program at Holland College School of Visual Arts; then worked for 2 years in a small studio with a very skilled master craftsman where I continued to learn before setting up my own studio.  

My work now consists of pieces for my gallery here, client ordered furniture as well as pieces for select galleries and shops across Canada and the United States.

I use various species of wood, locally grown birdseye or fiddleback hard maple to colorful and figured yellow birch, wonderful white pine..sometimes I can tell you where the tree came from and the reason it was felled. Many neighbors and friends who work in the woods will bring me special wood, burls and such that they come across in the forest.

Other  pieces may be crafted using fine cabinet woods such as black walnut, cherry and mahogany, from sustainable sources and managed plantations. I also love to recycle wood from old furniture, houses, old wooden barns……..A large amount of my work is quietly done with hand tools, planing.. carving…. dovetails cut by hand……..lathe turned pieces, shaped and finished.

  • Folk Art Owls 

Little folk art owls to hang on your wall with handmade glass eyes. All are carved and painted by hand. I love to look at my wall of owls, always makes me smile..they change quite often as they find new homes.  The barn owls are quite striking with their large dark eyes and heart shaped faces, snowy owls would make a statement in the center of a large evergreen wreath for the holidays and the screech and tufted eared owls are charming with their own personalities.

  •   Folk Art Whales , Fish & Critters

I have lived on this small Island all my life, the sea plays a role in all we do here. I spend hours walking the beach, birdwatching and letting my Labradors do what they love the most…retrieving and swimming on the many beaches so close to us.So it only stands to reason that I am drawn to creating folk art pieces that the sea has given me inspiration for. These carved whales and funky folk art fish bring a welcome smile during the snowy winters while making them. They are all one of a kind, two are never the same.Beautiful reminders of the oceans, whether hanging in a summer home, a city apartment or on a wall in a sea loving child’s room.

  • Shorebird Decoys

Shorebirds fascinate me, we have many species who come here to nest and raise their young, plus in the fall the numbers grow with many stopping during their migrations south.They are colourful and entertaining, you see groups of many species finding lunch when the tides are low.I started carving them and now find it an addiction, love to see them come alive and they bring me a smile to see them looking back at me.I do only shorebirds we see here, I like to watch them before I make them, you get a sense of the personality each has.The tiny piping plovers and little sandpipers make a great reminder of a visit to PEI and the beautiful great blue herons and dowitchers are beautiful in any home.We have a long history of decoy carvers in the Maritimes, mine are done in a smooth antique style which seems to lend itself to each one having more of a soul. I am lucky to have collectors of my work come back each year to add a new one.

  • Acorns made from Wood

The RED OAK is our provincial tree, I have planted many on our rural property along with the help of squirrels and blue jays. It is thought that acorns in your home will bring good luck and safety to all who dwell there. I find them wonderful and magical..

I am known for my ‘Acorn Things’…….from little button boxes for treasures, towel racks, real bird houses for chickadees & wrens, wine stops and acorn rolling pins.

  • Rolling Pins

Rolling pins, each turned by hand, one at a time. I have been making and selling these wonderful pins for 8 years in select shops and galleries across Canada and the United States. They are made from  mostly local hardwoods, turned, sanded and finished to a soft sheen. Each style of pin from french, the pastry baton or the handled  pin is suitable to individual tastes and make wonderful gifts for the gourmet cook, great baker or chef. They look stunning hanging in the kitchen, an heirloom that can be passed down through the generations.All have a non toxic finish of beeswax and oil, just hand wash-wipe dry.

  • Bread, Serving and Cutting Boards

A selection of lovely Birdseye Maple breadboards  to set a warm inviting table and to use while in the kitchen. All are sanded and finished by hand with a beeswax/oil finish, very soft and smooth. They only get nicer with use, many come with a hanger to store and display.

Lovely wood serving boards make wonderful wedding and housewarming gifts. this year I have made a large number of live edge boards along with some amazing charcuterie boards and slabs from walnut or birdseye maple. They are large and would be wonderful when entertaining.

  • Spurtles & Muddlers

Spurtles are a Scottish tradition made for stirring the morning’s pot of oatmeal. They excel at that plus are really great for stirring sauces, stews or a pot of hearty homemade soup. These are each turned one at a time, from lovely wood, each different, sanded, soaked with water to raise the grain and again sanded. The finish is a mixture of non toxic oil and beeswax. This will keep your spurtle feeling soft and pleasant to use.

The Muddlers are a ‘bartenders’ best friend for muddling mint or fresh fruit to make Mojito’s, Old Fashioned’s, Mint Juleps or the vast array of muddled fruit drinks so popular today. They are finished with the same steps as the Spurtles. Wood Muddlers are sworn to be the ‘BEST’ by many bartenders.

Recent Posts

Making Board Butter to care for your wood from cutting blocks to muddlers, wooden spoons and rolling pins

One of the most common questions I hear from folks who buy my work is ‘How do I care for this??’. Especially the wooden kitchen things that do not have a film finish. After making and sanding the pieces, I put a number of coats of sunflower oil [ which is one of the few oils that will dry] on them then a top coat of oil-beeswax that gets buffed to a smooth sheen.

This year I began to make up tins of my beeswax finish or ‘Board Butter’ to give to people when they buy something from me. That way they can show some love to the wood after it has been used and washed several times.

Here is how I make mine for anyone who would like to make some ‘board butter’ for themselves. It is wonderful for all your wooden spoons and boards that are looking somewhat ‘dry’. Maybe you have a large butcher block…. Rolling pins if used will tend to stay pretty nice with the oils and shortening in the dough, but sometimes they may also need a sprucing up, makes them just glow.

I visit the large animal vet clinic to buy mineral oil because it is substantially cheaper than at the drug store…..My beeswax I buy from beekeepers, they sell it by the pound, around $5-6.00 per LB. You can order it online or source it locally. Here on PEI many of the wild blueberry growers keep their own hives to pollinate their crops so it is quite easy to find.This is a five-pound block of wax. Chop off some chunks and put them in to a double boiler..I used about a half of a lb. because I was making a bit and the ratio of wax to oil is low, you need way more oil than wax. [So perhaps 1/8 of a LB. for home use.] Melt the wax until it is a beautiful golden liquid. Then I add about 1/4 of a gallon of oil for home use maybe 2 cups] Heat and stir together for around 5 – 8 minutes. I then test out a few drops, make sure it will harden up when it cools..if it hardens too much I add more oil…too soft a bit more wax. It is not an exact science…just be sure to let it really mix together. Should be the texture of slightly softened real butter.Some people put Vitamin E oil in as well and some add lemon juice. I do not bother, a waste of the Vitamin E, that just sounds cool but has no benefits for the wood and the stuff smells so wonderful you do not need the smell of the lemon at all. Lemon juice is really great on its own rubbed on the wood to take odors off and clean your cutting board, wood utensils,..you do not need it in this mixture.The scent of the beeswax in your kitchen as you make this is heavenly.

I picked up a large syringe at the clinic as well to use to fill the tins. Those I purchased from a gal on Etsy, for your own butter you can just use a mason jar…wide mouthed would be super.You can see that the first small jars are getting firm and the hot mixture is really liquid. When it is firm you can put the lids on and ‘Voila” ! Your very own batch of butter.I ordered these small round labels from Vista Print with directions and my logo for each tin. I include one each time I send a parcel out to my wonderful customers or sell something in my studio here.  I have two sizes the larger one for some of the bigger boards, the smaller for bread boards, muddlers and rolling pins. I am putting a few of the larger tins in my studio for folks who may even like to just buy the ‘Board Butter’.

I think it adds a nice touch to someones parcel, a sort of gift and a little surprise. I know then that their wood will look wonderful for many years.

I took a few moments to butter up some of my wooden things…here they are before…….Dry and well used kitchen treen. Just generously rub the board butter on, let sit for an hour or so and then buff lightly with a soft cloth…Looking better and that is it..Smells beautiful, looks wonderful and no unnatural or chemical additives whatsoever.

Easy-Peasy !!

Then you go out to talk with your dog on a most beautiful Sunday morning. Tell him to wait on the path in the woods as you take another look at the beautiful Lady Slippers that are in full bloom behind the wood shop. He is not really happy about that but a good boy and he waited. Miss Hazel is not so reliable so she had to take a nap with the cats in the house.Hope everyone had a wonderful Father’s Day Sunday. Make some board butter, your wooden things will thank you for it and return to their former glory .

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