Reprinted with permission from David Western's blog , all material 2009, David Western --

I've just got back from a couple of weeks in Europe. My wife loves to go there for the art, the scenery, the markets, the food, the vino and the history. Me, I like to go there to crawl around under church pews, to crick my neck trying to spot carvings on timber framed houses, to be the guy laying on the floor taking pictures of an ornamented chair leg while everyone else is drooling over Rembrandts and to be the fellow who barely notices the magnificent stained glass of Chartres Cathedral because I'm mesmerized by the tiny roses carved into the stone columns. I confess, I absolutely love the wood and stone carving of the medieval and renaissance period! Whenever I start to think I am getting pretty good at what I do, a quick look at some carvings done by the artists of medieval Europe puts me well and truly back in my place and vividly illustrates the distance I have yet to travel!

But it isn't just the masterworks of the medieval church carver which inspire. The 'folk' carvings of the Barvarian and Tirolean Alps never fail to dazzle me with their exhuberance and virtuosity. Scarcely any wooden object was left unadorned and the result is an exciting legacy of chip carving which is still practiced by adherents around the globe today.

What I really like about wandering around Europe though, is that wood carving seems to show up everywhere. This picture was taken of a shop door in a Parisien fashion arcade. Although the picture doesn't do it justice, the work was exquisite. If there was some of this kind of stuff at the fashion stores here in Canada, my wife would have a fighting chance of getting me to go shopping with her once in a while!

I know that many carvers out there struggle with finding designs to inspire them and they especially find imagining their own patterns very difficult. I'm not too much different in that respect but I have found that by continually keeping my eye peeled for little gems like this, I have managed to vastly expand the repertoire of ideas I have to draw on during the design process. This simple little detail from a confessional is absolutely captivating and will definitely find its way into one of my designs some day soon. It may get altered a bit, but it is such an elegant form that I can't wait to find a way to carve it! To have this kind of inspiration available almost everywhere one looks really does make a trip to Europe more than worthwhile for a carver. And did I mention the beer? Ahhhh, the beer!

I'll conclude my little travelogue with this last picture from Chartres Cathedral (I was exaggerating for effect earlier, I did notice the stained glass!). This, for me, was the absolute highlight of my European trip! Although hard to see in this pic (as it is in real life) there is a tiny frog carved onto the stone column. His head has been broken off at some point, but his torso and limbs remain. Representing a staggering amount of extra work for the carver, this little frog was likely carved here for the sole purpose of supplying some whimsical beauty for the observant viewer. What a delight he must have been for eagle eyed children (and adults) over the years. And what a modest, quiet and yet powerful illustration of the beauty of carving!

AmeriCymru member, operatic tenor Gwyndaf Jones will be traveling from Toronto to perform at this year's NAFOW in Pittisburgh, PA. If you haven't heard him sing, here's his site and go listen - wow!The NAFOW guest bios page lists him: http://www.wngga.org/NAFOW/guest_bios.html "Gwyndaf Jones ~ Banquet PerformerBorn and raised in Llanfairpwll, North Wales, Gwyndaf Jones had many great experiences performing and competing in Welsh festivals throughout the country. In fact, it was the 1987 Singer of the World Competition held in Cardiff where he began his musical career. At age 18, he placed first in the tenor category and was awarded an Opera Program Scholarship to the Guild Hall School of music in London where he studied. Since then, he has performed with the Welsh National Opera, English National Opera, San Francisco Opera and Chicago Lyric Opera as well as extensively in concerts throughout Canada and the USA."Gwyndaf has produced and recorded a solo album in 2007. Currently living in Toronto, he teaches vocal technique of Belcanto singing to private voice students. "Go, Gwyndaf! The page lists a lot of other very interesting sounding people and it looks like it will be a great event.

Legendary American musician/composer/producer/arranger and general musical virtuoso, Quincy Jones told the BBC that he recently discovered that his father, Quincy Delight Jones, Sr., was half Welsh. Here, listen to a sound file of Jones discussing his feeling about his recently discovered Welsh heritage and that he was pleased to find Cardiff was "so Ghetto," - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/8132889.stm Quincy Jones is Welsh, Borat is Welsh, I keep telling people that everyone is Welsh and I know I'm right!

My fellow Americans, have a great day today, whatever you're doing! Set off explosives, enjoy beer or boating or barbecuing or whatever you choose to do today! I'm thinking I'm dragging my kids off birdwatching and swimming in the Columbia Gorge, and of course a picnic, as the forecast here is f'ing hot!Happy 4th!

Bryn Seion Church celebrated its 125th anniversary this last Sunday in Beavercreek, Oregon. A church service was held at 11:00AM, the first sing of the annual Gymanfa Ganu at 1:45PM, followed by an afternoon tea and the evening sing at 6:00PM.

From the Gymanfa program:

"Musical guests in alphabetical order:

"Rhiannon Acree was born and raised in Dolgellau, North Wales, to a distinguished musical family. She now lives in Long Beach, CA where she has a home-health care company. She has conducted many Gymanfaoedd including the National North American Gymanfa Ganu in San Jose in 2001. This is her third time directing Bryn Seion's Gymanfa.

"Reverend John O. Hasenjaeger, co-pastor of Bryn Seion church is a minister of the Presbyterian church USA and has been preaching [at Bryn Seion] regularly for just a year. John teaches philosophy and religion in Mt Hood Community College in Gresham, Oregon and is an active volunteer with the music program there; he also assists in the ministry of several congregations in the area.

" Bronn and Katherine Journey are from Sultan, WA. Bronn's grandfather directed Bryn Seion's first Gymanfa Ganu in 1936. Bronn has performed for many Welsh functions in the northwest. Katherine is from Calgary, AB and has a Master's Degree in vocal performance. Her parents moved to Calgary from the "old country" of the Netherlands shortly after the close of WWII. Bronn and Katherine recently returned from a 13,000 mile US concert tour to the east coast, presenting programs for community concerts.

"Peter Kramer is a music student at MHCC, emphasizing composition, also studying piano and violin, and singing tenor in the MHCC chamber choir and playing violin in the orchestra.

"Quinland Porter is retired from Lewis and Clark college where she taught English and Humanities. She has been participating in Bryn Seion's Gymanfaoedd since 1952, and has sung locally with the Symphonic Choir, Portland Camerata, Portland Revels, St Steven's Cathedral Choir and Ascension Chapel.

"Owen Hofmann-Smith, cellist, has played with several regional symphonies and jazz combos including the Metropolitan Youth Symphony, Portland Youth Philharmonic, Mount Hood Community College and Mount Hood Symphony.

"Teresa Vosse is currently organist at Glenfair Evangelical Church, Portland, accompanist the classical choirs at [Mount Hood Community College], and plays violin in the MHCC orchestra. Teresa is retired from a career as a music educator, specializing in the classical strings."

Betty Pierce corralled as many of the children as she could to sing "Calon Ln" to a packed house during the morning sing, and joined them. The church building was completely full and the audience spilled out onto the lawn on both sides.

The BBC reports that, despite his unfortunate birth in London, comedian Sacha Baron Cohen has ties to Wales - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/1898402.stm , "the outrageous wide boy's father and grandfather are both Welsh and his mother still owns a department store in Cardiff. " That's right, the outrageous creator of Borat, Ali G and Bruno has family roots in Pontypridd, in "the Wales".

The Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod will this year be taking centre stage in Washington D.C as one of the 160 organizations, musicians, poets, scholars, artists and craftsmen representing Wales as the Guest Nation at the two week long Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Washington D.C. 24 June 5 July.

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival , which takes place every year and attracts over one million visitors from the USA and overseas, will welcome Wales as the featured Nation providing visitors with a unique opportunity to learn about Welsh culture. As representatives of Wales festivals, Llangollen will be an integral part of the Wales and the World Pavilion where they will be telling the unique story of Llangollen and the Welsh Eisteddfodic tradition on which it is based./p>

The International Eisteddfods presence in Washington will highlight the parallels between both events as the International Eisteddfods Executive Director, Mervyn Cousins explains, It is a great privilege to be part of such a major world festival with similar aims as ours. In the same way as the Llangollen Eisteddfod aims to promote world peace through music and dance, the Smithsonian Festival aims to do this by showcasing the best the Guest Nation has to offer to the rest of the world and we are very proud to be here representing Wales festivals. Llangollen is where Wales and the World meet and therefore this is an ideal opportunity for us to take Llangollen to the world!

During the two-week festival, that takes place between 24 28 June and 1 5 July senior Llangollen personnel will lead various presentations. The talks will range in their themes from how the Eisteddfod came into existence 63 years ago, through to the Festivals commitment to sustainable development and the environment, to how a small town in North Wales was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize!

Betty Belanus, Curator of the Wales Smithsonian Cymru program expressed her enthusiasm for the collaboration: "Having visited the Llangollen area during my extended research stay in Wales in 2007, I was very impressed with the beauty of the area as well as the obvious positive impact the International Eisteddfod has had on the town and environs. The idea of an International Eisteddfod illustrates the warm welcome that I have always felt in Wales. Although I have never had the pleasure of attending the event, its vision of promoting peace through mutual cooperation is much like that of our own Smithsonian Folklife Festival. We look forward to hosting the representatives of the International Eisteddfod who will be participating in the Festival, and we hope that visitors will be inspired by the global reach of Wales through finding out about events such as the International Eisteddfod. I believe that the depth of pride and determination of the Welsh people will shine in our event, through one on one interaction with the participants from all around Wales, including Llangollen.

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival has collaborated with the Welsh Assembly Government to select the best that Wales has to offer. First Minister, Rhodri Morgan said: "No longer will Wales be Europes best kept secret. The Smithsonian is one of the worlds biggest cultural festival events and we have a unique opportunity to raise our profile in Washington and right across North America. Visitors to the festival will be able to learn more about our traditional and contemporary cultures and we hope that inspires them to visit, study or invest here."

Reprinted with permission from David Western's blog , all material 2009, David Western --

David Western will be appearing, speaking on the lovespoon carving tradition and showing his work, including the Left Coast Eisteddfod lovespoon - which David will award at the event - at the Left Coast Eisteddfod in Portland, Oregon on Friday, August 21 and Saturday, August 22, 2009. Get your tickets now.

As I've been compiling this little blog following the twists and turns of carving a lovespoon for the Left Coast Eisteddfod, I've received a number of emails from fellow carvers, lovespoon enthusiasts and a few people who are 'just interested' wanting to know how I got into this and what my inspirations are.

I can tell you that I basically fell into lovespoon carving. Although I have been aware of what they are since childhood, and have tinkered with carving them since my teens, the really serious obsession (or as I prefer to call it, professional interest) with lovespoons is about 10 years old now.

My main inspirations were, and still are, the lovely antique spoons housed at the National History Museum of Wales at St Fagans (near Cardiff). I always make time for a day or two at the museum studying these little gems of fervent workmanship whenever I am in Wales. A finer introduction into the craft cannot be found anywhere else (except maybe in my book The Fine Art of Lovespoon Carving - how's THAT for a shameless plug??). I encourage anyone keen on lovespoons who plans on visiting Wales to make time for this marvelous museum. Even if you could care less about lovespoons, the outdoor museum is chock-a-block with tremendous things to see. But if I were to single out one spoon which above all others has been my greatest source of inspiration and as acted as a beacon guiding me to strive to constantly improve both my carving and my design it would be this one.

For me, this spoon epitomizes all that is great about the lovespoon. Masterfully and elegantly carved, the spoon appears deceptively simple, yet every feature is flawlessly carved and the represents the very highest level of craftsmanship. If you want a spoon that 'has it all'...this is the one. Whoever the unknown craftsman was who made this brilliant offering, I sincerely hope that he won the heart of his intended and lead a long, happy and productive life! He deserves it!

After that masterwork, this little spoon may seem like the 'ugly duckling', but what I love and find so inspiring about this spoon is the passion which seems to almost emanate from its fibres! Lofty talk, I know, but despite its rather rudamentary craftsmanship and design, this spoon has tremendous emotion. Made with the simplest of tools by someone in the deepest thrawl of love, the bowl is exquisitely formed, showing an amateur carver giving it his very best effort . For 'feeling', this spoon has always rated as one of the most inspirational for me!

The last example from the St Fagan's collection is this completely over-the-top example of woodcarving virtuosity. A riot of chainwork, balls in cages, swivels and a fiendishly difficult diagonal chain pattern, this spoon was carved by a very, very serious professional. It would have taken months and months of patient and extremely nerve-wracking carving to create this magnum opus! Whenever I think I am getting fairly good at carving, I study this spoon and realize just how far I have yet to go!

But it isn't just ancient history which inspires. Recently, I had the very good fortune to meet carver Alun Davies of Wales, whom I believe carves the most technically perfect lovespoons I have ever seen. Alun's mastery of woodcarving is so complete that his spoons are almost unbelievable in their perfection. No single aspect of them is any less than stunning. In fact, the first time I laid eyes on them, I felt like I really needed to get some carving lessons and to practice a LOT more!! Alun's spoons aren't just technically staggering though, they have a soft and elegant charm which is really the root of lovespoon carving...they have feeling!!! It was Alun who told me something which has become my lovespoon carving mantra... "A lovespoon is not a lovespoon unless it is carved with love; love for the wood, love for the tradition and love for the person who will receive it." Hang that above the workbench and you have all the inspiration you'll ever need!!

My last lovespoon inspiration has probably had the most profound influence on in my lovespoon carving as he has shown me that the possibilities for the tradition are vast, varied and exciting. Mike Davies is probably the most well known of all the Welsh lovespoon carvers and for many years has been a one-man promotion for this venerable tradition. Thousands of people around the world proudly display Mike's work on their walls and for good reason....Mike was one of the first to really realize the design possibilities for the lovespoon outside the 'antique traditional'. With dramatic Celtic designs, dramatic modern pieces and delicate foliage inspired spoons, Mike's work is always adventurous. Realizing that there were so many unexplored avenues available to the lovespoon carver was probably the greatest inspiration for me and I will always be grateful to Mike for so vividly pointing that out!

I have enjoyed great generousity, cameraderie and inspiration from many lovespoon carvers over the years and I know that like everything else, the more influences, techniques and ideas are brought to a subject, the better it gets. Hopefully, one day I will be an inspiration to a beginning carver or my designs will spark inspiration for someone to take the craft another step further and that will be a very happy day for me.