Ian Currie’s wooden carvings occupied another stand out stall at the Christmas markets back in December, covered with a host of hand made things, all smelling of lovely finishing oil. I had to discover the roots of this craft and approached Ian for an interview.
So Ian, what was the initial spark that got you into making wooden products?Several years ago, I collected Japanese Netsuke after a lucky bid at an auction got me started. There are worlds in the intricate carving involved in these beautiful objects and over the years I gathered a small collection, which I love. Fast forward to Covid lockdown and I chanced on some YouTube clips showcasing the work of (mainly American) spoon carvers and I became interested in the possibilities of making beautiful objects that had the limiting aspect of retaining a certain form and function. I bought a beginners set of knives and had a go, making lots of mistakes and experiencing lots of self-inflicted injuries until I created something I was actually happy with.
That’s fascinating, I must check out Netsuke. Do you have any woodworking heroes?
I would love to give the wonderful creators of those netsukes a namecheck here… if only I could read their signatures! But of more relevance to my own creations, my heroes would include the Japanese sculptors… Mokko Kumakich and Nikichi both of whom make stunning miniature creations. In the US, Norm Sartorius makes the most beautifully organic spoons and here in the UK the work of Deborah Schneebelli Morrell is outstanding.
More people to check out. So how do you source your marvellous materials?
I sometimes buy wood off-cut ‘blanks’ online. These are basically scrap blocks of all kinds of wood. This allows me to experiment with timber that is otherwise harder to come by. I do however like to repurpose and recycle where I can. I currently have the remnants of a whisky/sherry cask drying out in my workshop and I always welcome donations of downed trees (subject to storage space). I have even made a number of tiny salt spoons out of ice lolly sticks!
Do you have a favourite timber and if so why?
Fruit wood is nice to carve and usually has an interesting grain e.g. apple, pear and cherry. I would love to find some pieces of olive wood, but I would say spalted beech is one of my absolute favourites (so far). Spalting is the result of fungi colonising the cells of a fallen tree and creating fabulous patterning in the timber. Lime, tulip and basswood are about the easiest to carve but these can have a rather plain finish.
What would you say your typical customer profile is?
That’s a tricky question. I’m not sure I have a ‘typical’ customer. People have bought my spoons as birthday and wedding presents. I have a couple of customers who I feel deserve the title ‘collector’ as they now own multiple examples of my creations. Around 80% of my work is currently the result of commissions which is incredibly humbling. I have been asked to create a wide range of spoon embellishments and I currently have some really unusual challenges on the books. I love clients challenging me with unusual requests and I’ll always do my best to fulfil the brief. The order book is currently very healthy – which is fantastic- but it prevents me from building up a big stock of ‘standard’ spoons to allow me to do a market stall.
Your items are incredibly well finished. What product or products do you use to achieve that silky sheen? Or is it a secret?
That’s really kind of you to say. Not really a trade secret… I use a variety of riffle files and gouges (including micro chisels) followed by increasingly fine grades of wet and dry abrasive paper. I use between one and three coats of Danish oil (depending on how thirsty the wood is) and a final buff with a soft cloth to finish. I have just started experimenting with some other processes as part of the finish including ‘baking’ the finished spoon and torching. I do also occasionally embellish with gold or copper leaf.
How many items do you produce a week?
My Achilles heel! Having recently fully retired (haha) I should be able to spend significantly more time on my carving. Up until now, it has had to fit around a multitude of other commitments. Each spoon (or other item) is a complete one-off. There is no production line and every piece is completely hand made. Factors such as the level of intricacy and the nature of the chosen wood all play a part in how long an item will take to complete. Most take several days. I think the shortest time for a very small, plain spoon was about a day.
Is each piece individual or do you have a pattern book for batch production?
No batch production at all and no patterns. Every carving is unique. I have only recently started working on more than one spoon at a time. I find that this helps me to solve problems that arise during the carving process by building in some thinking time whilst I distract myself with another piece of work. It also means I can create a few of my own blanks (blocked out but no detail) before taking each one on its individual journey.
Are people using your items or are they generally bought for decoration?
The Danish Oil I use is ‘food grade’. This means that any of my spoons could be used, but I think most people buy them for display.
Do you have remaining woodworking ambitions and if so, what would they be?
I have a few plans in the offing which will involve going bigger. I will however wait for the warmer weather as at least one of these will involve outdoor work. This will also entail a whole set of new techniques and the use of different tools including chisels and power tools. I do also intend to set up a couple of spoon carving workshops in the near future, I just have a few things to sort out first before I can gauge the level of interest.
I may attend your workshop. You describe yourself as artist, photographer and spoon guy… how do you split your time between these things?
I’ve described myself frequently as a dabbler. I dabble in all kinds of creative endeavours and as a recent retiree I have a lot more time to spend on the things that were previously relegated to the status of hobbies. It feels like I’m now playing catch up with all the things I love to do – writing, carving, photography, painting and composing music. The one common denominator that links them all is that I just want to put something ‘out there’ that is worthwhile and which (hopefully) has a beauty about it. The current interest in my carved pieces has firmly pushed that to the top of the time commitment list, so I guess that is where my energy is chiefly focused at the present.
How do you see things developing for your practice over the next couple of years?
As mentioned previously, I would like to create some bigger pieces. I am interested in automata and puppets and I would like to create something kinetic. Longer term, I would love to find a way of exhibiting some work in the form of a visual/sound installation.
It’s said that Covid lockdowns have led to a growth in crafting – is this welcome or unwelcome competition?
Haha… I don’t see the arts as a competitive arena at all. I don’t think we should see art as ‘better’ or ‘best’, there’s just what we like (or don’t like) and that’s all ok. I think the Covid boom in crafting is absolutely brilliant and any form of artistic effort is so good for one’s mental health and puts more beautiful things into the world. Having been in education all my professional life, I despair at the way arts subjects have shrunk in curriculum terms both in schools and in post-compulsory education. The arts contribute so much to our lives that is beautiful, interesting, challenging, stimulating and inspiring and the voices of artists – I’m talking generally now – transcend the mundanity of so much daily life. I’m in danger of getting on my soapbox over this, but the way successive governments have denuded the arts of funding at all levels is short-sighted and naive.
Amen to that! Next question, what’s the project you’ve completed that’s dearest to your heart?
Another tough question… I’m not sure I could single one out. The most pleasure I get is from a client’s reaction/appreciation for a finished piece. There really is nothing like feeling your creation has hit the mark. Many creators/artists I know (myself included) experience periods of self doubt and imposter syndrome. There are many lonely moments during the creation of a piece and positive client feedback keeps fuelling the creative engine.
I thank Ian for his insightful and full answers. His carved pieces are really superb and worth checking out – Instagram @beanboff. Ian has also contributed his art and photography pieces to the Hive Arts exhibitions and is a steady supporter of the Blackpool arts scene. Thank you once more for taking the time to speak to me.
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