I started carving wood in May 2018. The seeds were probably planted in my childhood, I have always enjoyed making stuff. In school I had some wood and metal work classes where we all made simple projects, copper keychains, wooden cutting boards and such things. I was fascinated by taking the raw materials and with time, effort, and attention turning it into something else. I was changing the state of the physical world around me, it was felt like magic.
I was always trying to make the thing the best version I could. I wanted to have a nice shape, a nice feeling to touch and I wanted it to look beautiful. If I felt more time and effort would achieve this I would happily stay with it until I was satisfied it was the best version my hands could create.
For many years I lost contact with this. In 2016 I took part in my second 'the animal layer' workshop with my friend and teacher Joseph Bartz. We trained, moved, and lived together for a week. A lot of training was very physical and we were moving throughout the day and sometimes all through the nights. None of us new what would come next and we were all very much in ‘animal’ mode. we didn’t know when we would sleep or eat next. We did have some less physical tasks and part of the workshop was to design and sew our own T-shirts. Rather instantly I was back in the space I was in those early school days, I had a project and I could imagine what it could be. Although I have no experience sewing I wanted to make it the best T-shirt I possibly could. I put a lot of attention into taking measurements, cutting the fabric, and sewing the pieces together with needle and thread. The T-shirt came out OK, but it was for sure the best version I could make at that time and I was happy. With my own hands I had changed fabric into something I could wear. It felt like magic again.
Joseph showing us how we could look at our own t-shirts as a blueprint for making our own. The more physical part of the workshop was a challenge for all of us.
Bruno stitching away on his project.
After this experience I decided to give myself more time to make stuff with my hands.
I started drawing again and started working with bone as it is something I had also tried as a child and something very prominent in the New Zealand culture where I grew up. (I still have and treasure a bone carving my mom gave me as a young boy)
I like the permanence of it and only time and simple handtools are needed.
one of my first bone carvings i made for my grandad who was always drawing and painting and learning about things. A big inspiration for me.
I made a few pieces I was happy with and it was a lot of fun. I wanted to share this feeling I had rediscovered with my own training group so I collected the tools and materials needed to show them the process I go through. Very randomly I thought I could offer that some people might enjoy to carve wood rather than bone and I assumed it would be similar, and for me it is in that If you can envision what the end product should look like, you just have to remove everything that isn’t it. After some people carved some nice pendants Showing the natural beauty of the wood I decided to try carving wood myself. I found an old branch that had been chewed and left by a dog and from that I carved a small spoon, knife and pendant.
From dog stick into something beautiful. My first time carving wood.
The color and pattern of the wood once sanded and oiled looked beautiful. Since then I have continued to Work mostly with wood, and have learned a lot about trees and types of wood, carving techniques and how to sharpen and use axes and knives. I mostly Carve spoons currently as I love the combination of functionality and art. I tried to create practical but beautiful pieces. All the wood I use is from fallen trees or pruned branches. I love that I can create something with my hands that will be treasured and used for a long time.
Going full circle and sharing my passion with some of Josephs students at his school in berlin in 2019.
You can find my latest work here: roots-movement.de/rootsspoons