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Calling All Vendors!

The North American Festival of Wales (NAFOW) and the 79th Annual Gymanfa Ganu is coming to Portland, Oregon September 2010 - The Welsh Marketplace has vending sites available. Vendors must offer a product or service - including items like genealogy, travel, lessons, art, crafts, packaged foods, music - which is Celtic, British or British-American.

This is the 79th year of this travelling event, which has not been held in Oregon since 1984. Hundreds of people travel from around North America to attend the festival, go on tours, attend presenations and seminars, the opening ceremonies, the banquet, choir and concert performances and much, much more.

To reserve your site, print and fill out the Vendor Contract Form and pay with check, money order or credit card. If you prefer to pay online, you will still need to print out the vendor contract, read and fill in the details and send to WNGGA Headquarters along with a copy of the PayPal transaction indicating what you paid. Marketplace space is reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. Tables are $110.00 for 4 days. Vendors who have smaller items may want to team up with another small item vendor to share a table and we're happy to work with you according to your situation. Information for the Market place can be found on the NAFOW web site: http://wngga.org/NAFOW/sponsorship.html or contact Janet Figini, 503-630-5317 or jpfigini@cascadeaccess.com

Please help us tell other people! If you're on Facebook, click the "Like" button in the right-hand column to spread the word!.For directions on how to vote...read the short post below. ->

I'm writing to ask you to help the Meriwether Lewis Memorial Eisteddfod Foundation and the Left Coast Eisteddfod win a grant from the Chase Community Giving competition on Facebook to spend bring Welsh artists, musicians and culture to the US. The Chase Community Giving competition offers non-profits a chance at several levels of grants, based on how many Facebook users vote for them. Our mission statement from the Chase Giving page : "The Meriwether Lewis Memorial Eisteddfod Foundation (MLMEF) was organized to raise public awareness of Welsh heritage in North America, to celebrate Welsh-American culture and preserve its works and to foster and encourage art and creativity in the Welsh tradition. An Eisteddfod [eye-STETH-vod] is a Welsh performing arts festival, held in Wales since at least the 12th Century when bards competed for the favor of the Lord Rhys at his court in Cardigan. Today, the National Eisteddfod of Wales celebrates dance, poetry, music, theater, prose and visual arts. Eisteddfoddau are held all over the world, wherever Welsh people settled. The MLMEF organizes the Left Coast Eisteddfod, a modern eisteddfod for the west coast of North America. The Left Coast Eisteddfod includes live events and on line events and competitions on AmeriCymru, a Welsh social network." We started the MLMEF to bring Welsh artists, Welsh authors and Welsh culture to western North America and to bring Welsh-American arts, culture and history to the notice of the general public, including those persons of Welsh ancestry who have no idea that Wales exists. Wales is full of creative, brilliant people with important and incredible things to say; let's bring them here and help people get to hear them. Please help us do that by voting for the MLMEF in the Chase Giving competition on Facebook. Last year was our first year in operation, we brought Welsh authors Chris Keil and Niall Griffiths to the US, introduced audiences to Welsh-language poetry through performances by Oceans Apart and much, much more. To vote, you have to have a Facebook account and then go to the Chase Community Giving page (search it or click below): Follow the directions to start voting and if you're not on our page, search "Meriwether Lewis Memorial Eisteddfod" and you'll find our page, then click on the green "Vote Now" button. Clicking the "like" button is not voting, it's just liking the application so be sure to click the green "Vote Now" button! I'll amend this page as I get new information. Thank you very much and we very much appreciate your help!

Laura and I have decided on the final drawing for the Left Coast Eisteddfod Lovespoon and here it is!

We very much hope that you like what you see and that you will be inspired to donate to the cause! Remember - every dollar donated to the Left Coast Eisteddfod can translate to a chance to win this spoon!

This week we both wanted to write sections of the blog, so I am writing in regular font and Laura is in italic... a clear way to know who is saying what and sort of a symbolic way of summing up the main fund-raising purpose of this spoon! We do urge you to become involved with the Eisteddfod, either as a donor or as a participant in one of the many on-line and on-site competitions!

Both Laura and I have very much enjoyed the challenge of designing this year's spoon together and are now looking forward to figuring out how the hell the two of us will carve it! Given that we live several thousand kilometres away from each other, getting all this sorted out will be a bit of a feat! But right now, it is important to explain what this particular spoon is all about and so I'll turn things over to Laura! - Dave

When I talk with people about Welsh Lovespoons, I always emphasize that one of the most important things is the message it sends - the general "rule" is, its symbolism must be meaningful to both the giver and the recipient. So, while it's ideal to have a specific recipient in mind when we design a spoon, we don't always have that.

In the case of this Left Coast Eisteddfod spoon, we would assume the recipient will share an interest in Americymru's idea "for Americans (and others!) of Welsh descent to celebrate their heritage and deepen their knowledge of the rich fund of Welsh History, Folklore and Legend." Throughout the design process, we've been thinking of this, along with the theme of "two" and the aim to represent both carvers, and our cooperation.

Dave sent over a few last changes - some leaves to go with the daffodils, a correction from under to over in some of the weaving at the top, and an adjustment to the top of the knotwork to better match the taper of the spoon, and the angles of the vines above. When I look at the design now, I feel like we've accomplished exactly what we intended, and the design finally feels complete. I see Welsh and American heritage represented, I see parts that are very "Dave" and parts that are very "Laura", and, in the daffodils, I see a blend of both of us, and will see it even more when each of us carves one. And throughout the process, I know I really enjoyed the back-and-forth consideration and inspiration in the collaborative design process. And now there are the next steps!

We've already been discussing wood selection. We considered some maple Dave had, and some myrtle I had, but neither seemed quite right. Then, Dave suggested some birch he has.

I have never carved in birch, but Dave's description of it sounds like it is wonderful to carve! I believe the word that really sold me was "buttery" - which is one of the biggest things a carver ever wants in wood. It also looks like it has a lovely, glowing color to it, that would suit our design beautifully. I think we may have selected our wood! The next step, I suppose, will be transferring the design to the wood, in its proper scale. We have been thinking about 17" for the length of the spoon: a manageable size for drawing, and for shipping. And then, on to the cutting! How do two people cut out a design? do we really need to split that step? Hmmmm.... I wonder what Dave thinks! - Laura

Dave thinks the guy with the birch and the saw gets to do the cutting!
Laura thinks that's fabulous! I suspect Dave is far superior at sawing.

Below, I'll attach a series of the design pictures, as we thought it might be interesting to see the progression all in one place... With a darkened version of the final design at the end

BAFTA Cymru is the British Academy of Film and Television Arts for Wales.

A Bit of Tom Jones , which won Best Film/Drama.

It's foul, definitely, and not for everyone but it's totally tongue in cheek, all foulness an affectionate joke. There's a few raw bits that could have been done better, not flawless, but I laughed a LOT and it's a darned funny film for grown ups who have a sense of humor. There's a lot of great lines in this film that caught me by surprise, I think personally Eve Myles got the single best line which would make a great but offensive t-shirt. I hope Sir Tom, His Royal Hotness, has seen it and got a good laugh, I sure did!

A Bit of Tom Jones premiered for American audiences in Chicago and we were fortunate enough to get permission to show it at the Left Coast Eisteddfod in Portland, Oregon in October.

Welsh language film Cwcw from writer/director Delyth Jones, starring Eiry Thomas, Aneirin Hughes and Rhys Richards, won Best Actress for Eiry Thomas' peformance as soap opera writer Jane Jones, and Best Original Music Soundtrack by composer John E.R. Hardy.

Read about the rest of the 2010 Awards here .

I just heard a news item on NPR radio this morning about this store and that it's looking at closing - Ceri says it's a tiny shop near the Hayes Island snack bar and that they've been threatened with closure forever but I thought this was so cool - the first record store in the world is in Cardiff! They also sell online and I hope that will help them survive, it'd be a shame if it closed - apparently they can't make their rent, I don't know if prices have gone up as Cardiff has been built up and they have this on their home page:

http://www.spillersrecords.co.uk/

"AND IN RECENT NEWS...

"Spillers Records
has been featured in a few newspapers recently, and there has been a
lot of gossip on facebook and twitter about us too. We would just
like our customers to know that our situation may not be as dramatic as
some people are making out. It is true however, that we will be leaving
our current premises by the end of June 2010 . We would also
like to point out that we do not blame our landlords for the situation
we are in, and are in fact grateful for all their help in finding us a
temporary home until we find a new one.
Spillers Records do have afacebook account, and its great to get positive feedback from you
guys. There have been a few accounts set up under the name save
spillers, and the like, and wed like to stress that they are not
directed by us at all, and we have not set up a petition against our
landlords. Thanks to you all for the support - and keep a look out for news on where we move to!
"SPILLERS AM BYTH! "

and they have a Welsh section with lots of stuff, icluding The Alarm, 9Bach, Geraint Griffiths, Amy Wadge, Mabon, Goldie Lookin Chain, Bryn Terfel, The Fron Male Voice Choir and TON more:

http://www.spillersrecords.co.uk/shop/welsh_acts/

T oday I'm stepping away from the cerebral stresses of lovespoon design so that I can get back to the more elemental pleasures of playing with wood and heavy tools that go 'thwack' when you use them!

Laura and I are on the prowl for a nice piece of wood for the Eisteddfod spoon so I thought I would have a look at some broadleaf maple I have been storing for a couple of years.The wood is still in log form, so I am going to split out some little planks with a mallet and froe.

This is the same method used by roofers to make shingles and shakes. Basically it involves whalloping a sturdy steel blade (the froe) with a lead or heavy wood mallet to drive it through the block and split off slabs.

Sometimes it is easier said than done... especially if there are hidden knots inside the block. Ultimately though, it gives the best slab of wood for carving as the direction the piece splits shows exactly how the grain of the wood is running within the tree.

If things go to plan and the block isn't harbouring any unwanted annoyances, the slab will separate nice and neatly and you will be left with a fairly tidy piece of carvable wood!

Once the board is separated from the block, it can be leveled and cleaned-up as desired, either by some judicious axe-work or by running it over the jointer. Because I am ever-so-slightly lazy, I generally opt for the jointer, but if I am feeling 'back to the landish' I will sometimes use the axe or a hand held plane to tidy things up.

With the board nicely planed, I can get a really good look at the grain and check to see if there is any figure to it or anything of interest. Most carvers prefer to have pretty plain and uniform grain so that the wood will be more predicable and the carving goes easier. Because I have always been obtuse, I like it to have some figure and some zing to the grain pattern. This generally means I get a bit more of a fight from the wood, but the end results are generally worth the tussle! In this case, the wood is fairly uniform in its grain orientation and there isn't much in the way of figure, but it has some spalting (fine dark lines) which might go well with our design. We'll see how Laura feels about it and will compare it to some nice pieces of myrtle wood she has just been given. Although I am a big fan of maple, the thought of myrtle wood for a spoon destined for Oregon has some allure too. Stay tuned!

And please also consider making a donation to the Left Coast Eisteddfod. Your contribution (no matter how big or small) will help produce this exciting Welsh cultural event and will give you the opportunity to win the completed spoon!!

- Dave

For anyone new to this, lovespoons are a traditional Welsh folk art. David Western and Laura Gorun are lovespoon carvers who have very generously donated their time to create a one-of-a-kind masterpiece in support of the Left Coast Eisteddfod, a Welsh performing arts festival for the west coast of North America. Every dollar you donate through the blog buys you a ticket and a chance to win the spoon. Five dollars, equals five tickets, fifty dollars equals fifty tickets and fifty chances to win. This is David's second year of creation in support of this event and we are very grateful for his and Laura's generosity in sharing their work with us all. For a chance to win their spoon this year, click on the donate button on the blog or in the right-hand column on this page under the Left Coast Eisteddfod Competitions button and be sure to note that your donation is for the lovespoon. Reprinted with permission from David Western's blog , all material 2010, David Western --

So many drawings, so many features. After some consideration, and putting off the actual size/arrangement of daffodils, Dave liked version E, I liked version E, and others also mentioned liking version E. Dave and I both, however, felt like there were still some thin areas. (and we still want to change the flowers!) So, I stared at the drawing some more.

It isn't that I don't like negative space in a design. In fact, negative space is a great tool, and I think it contributes a good deal to the delicate look in a lot of my designs. It can contribute to the carving difficulty, too - long, thin, unsupported vines will have a tendency to want to break. That, I definitely DO consider!

So, now, all things considered, a thought entered my little head, and I started to drawing again. I realized, if I had vines stemming from above the twist, why couldn't I have them stemming from below the twist, as well? It might even-out one of the thin areas. Another thin area seemed to be inside the top of the "frame". It occurred to me that I could play a little with that vine, and somehow tie it back into the lower vines. This would also create separate areas for each daffodil. I wasn't sure how I felt about that, but I also wasn't quite sure how the daffodils should really look, either. Big? Small? With leaves? Without? Hmmm... so in this first drawing, I drew two small sample daffodils.

A quick e-mail from Dave suggested larger daffodils And, I agreed with the comments about the flowers in last week's "F" design... if I liked any arrangement of flowers, I liked the arrangement where one was low, and the other higher. So, I tried to enlarge the flowers a little bit, and drew another arrangement. This time, I didn't see room for leaves, so - no leaves. Now the design is feeling more balanced to me. I think my only reservation is with the flowers. It may not even be a reservation, in fact; it may simply be that there are so many possibilities, not yet explored. That is often the problem with designs - deciding when to stop. Maybe Dave will have the idea for that final adjustment that makes us both say, "that's it!" We shall see!

Enough for now...

- Laura

For anyone new to this, lovespoons are a traditional Welsh folk art. David Western and Laura Gorun are lovespoon carvers who have very generously donated their time to create a one-of-a-kind masterpiece in support of the Left Coast Eisteddfod, a Welsh performing arts festival for the west coast of North America. Every dollar you donate through the blog buys you a ticket and a chance to win the spoon. Five dollars, equals five tickets, fifty dollars equals fifty tickets and fifty chances to win. This is David's second year of creation in support of this event and we are very grateful for his and Laura's generosity in sharing their work with us all. For a chance to win their spoon this year, click on the donate button on the blog or in the right-hand column on this page under the Left Coast Eisteddfod Competitions button and be sure to note that your donation is for the lovespoon. Reprinted with permission from David Western's blog , all material 2010, David Western --

I found myself very much in agreement with Dave's new, more tapered shape. It also left a little more room for me to play in the top part. My only regret is that the dragon was seeming a little small to me, and the eagle looked especially big. I had been having another problem, though, with my flower ideas for the top. I really like the little flowers like I'd been drawing - I had recently completed another spoon, in fact, using little flowers.

However, as you can see, these flowers are scattered upon a natural central vine structure in this design. I did not like the idea of creating a web of vines simply to support small flowers within the top area of our Eisteddfod spoon. Also, while these little vanilla flowers (both figuratively and literally) can symbolize gentleness and affection, I found myself yearning for a little bit more Welsh symbolism in this spoon. After this train of thought, and missing the prevalence the Welsh Dragon in the design, my mind went to daffodils.

So, I made some designs with 2 daffodils - I thought it could be fun if Dave and I each made a daffodil. To begin, though, I would need to establish a vine structure to tie the eagle into the rest of the design. I wanted to get that to the point where we were both happy with it, and then we could finalize two daffodils. So, I went about some vine-drawing again, this time deliberately leaving some space for daffodils. A quick email exchange with Dave revealed that he liked the 2 daffodil idea, as well. We had always wanted to have some part that we both do together, and two takes on essentially the same subject would satisfy that desire.

After all this thought, I started with Dave's expanded frame and drew up a series of new drawings, 4 of which I sent on to Dave. I included some daffodils, but asked Dave not to consider them - just to consider the main vinework. The daffodils (and some leaves) I drew here were just placeholders. We may want to make them bigger, or positioned differently... we could concern ourselves with that part next.



Dave and I now needed to consider what we liked or didn't like about the drawings - hopefully there would be a clear favorite. What do you think? Any favorites? Let us know! - Laura



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