Martin Damen Traditional Woodworker

craft&design SELECTED AWARDS

Its your chance to help promote traditional crafts in the UK by voting for Martin in the 2012 craft&design Selected Awards.

These highly regarded national awards are based on an Online Public Vote for British and Irish designer makers with work represented in Selected, craft&design’s prestigious online gallery at www.craftmaker.co.uk.

Click HERE to vote for Martin and for more information.

You could win a case of wine and a years subscription just for voting!

INVITED TO DEMONSTRATE AT ART IN ACTION 2012

I have just had formal confirmation of my invitation to demonstrate at this year's Art in Action. This year is going to be a bit special in the Wood tent as all the demonstrators are partners of the OneOak Project and will be exhibiting a wide range of items all made from the same tree.

Although in the past two years I have demonstrated a range of green woodworking skills, this year, due to space constraints, I will only be demonstrating spoon carving. I'll also be exhibiting a range of work for sale.

If you've not been to Art in Action before, do try to come along in 2012. You'll be amazed at the talent being demonstated - check out the link above.

Please do introduce yourself if you are able visit. See you there!

OXFORDSHIRE ARTWEEKS 2012

Just to let you know that I will be exhibiting and demonstrating during Oxfordshire Artweeks between 5th and 13th May 2012. Come along for a chat and a free cup of tea and even a go on a foot-powered pole lathe.

SPOONS FOR NORMAN STEVENS' GATHERING OF SPOONS

Oak and Cherry Plum Spoons

The spoons for Norman Stevens were dispatched today.

Originally I had intended to make a more formal and symmetrical design inspired by European spoons of the 16^th-17^th centuries. However, in the event the Cherry Plum was not suitable for the proposed design. Consequently, the free form piece, on the right, evolved from a twisted piece of branch wood.

The left-hand spoon is made of Oak. From his intial email, I knew that Norman likes spoons made with wood of some provenance. The second spoon is made from the OneOak tree. Although oak is not normally used for spoon making due to its grain and tannic acid content I was aware that the Welsh spoon carvers of old boiled their sycamore spoons to remove the sap. With this in mind the oak spoon was boiled for two hours with several changes of water and then left to dry thoroughly. This process made the spoon the dark brown you see. You may be aware that oak was historically used in the tanning industry and it would appear that in effect your spoon has been “tanned”!

Art in Action - 2011

Just got back from Art in Action at Waterperry Gardens in Oxfordshire.

If you've not been before, Art in Action is a fantastic arts and crafts event that welcomes over 20,000 people over four days. In addition to woodwork, there are several hundred demonstrators in disciplines that include painting, sculpture, glass, textiles, ceramics, metalwork and jewellery.

Highly recommended for 2012!

NEW COMMISSION

Recently received a commission from an American collector, Norman Stevens, for his collection "A Gathering of Spoons". After some discussion, I will be making a nine inch spoon in Cherry Plum.

Norman exhibited his collection in 2010. Click HERE to see the catalogue.

BOWL COMPLETED

The bowl that I started in August has now been completed and sent to the receipient.

Drying started in August with an initial weight of 1730 grams. During the drying process the bowl has lost 550 grams of moisture, which represents over 31% of its initial weight.

ONEOAK PRIZE GIVING

Martin with 1st and 3rd prize winners and Nick Gibbs of Living Woods Magazine.

The "Guess the Weight of the Tree" Competition prize-giving was held on the stump of the OneOak tree on the Blenheim Estate. The competition was won by Cherie Ellis from Buckinghamshire with a guess of only 277kg out from the total weight of the tree (14.385 tonnes). Tomas Thuresson, a world-leading forstry expert came second while third place went to local schoolboy Jordan Le Roux. See the OneOak website fro more information.

COMMISSIONED BOWL STARTED

Today I have completed the main carving of a bowl made from the OneOak tree. The bowl has been commissioned as a retirement present for a teacher involved with the project.

The bowl will now be wrapped in hessian and left to dry out slowly. This is expected to take several monthly.

INVITED TO MAKE PRIZES FOR ONEOAK COMPETITION

The OneOak Project are running a 'guess the weight of the tree' competition and have asked me to make the prizes. The first prize will be a bowl while the runners up will each receive a spoon. All the prizes will be hand-carved using wood from the OneOak tree.

INVITED TO JOIN THE ONEOAK PROJECT

Today I have accepted an invitation to become a partner of the OneOak Project.

OneOak is an education project of the Sylva Foundation. It aims to bring people closer to growing trees for wood, by following the full life story of one oak tree.

The project aims to increase understanding of sustainable forestry by working directly with school children and families, and via its website, at local events and through local and national media.