Spoon Carving with Louise Forbes

Within our Spring series of workshops in the Courtyard Classroom this year we have brought back Louise Forbes, a skilled craftswoman who will be bringing her ever popular and unique spoon carving experience to Bowhouse through her hands-on workshops.

There’s something deeply satisfying about slowing down and working with our hands so these workshops will be run with small groups of people who are passionate about crafting but no experience is necessary.  Louise will guide everyone through the whole process and you will leave with your very own hand carved spoon to enjoy back at home.

We recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Louise to discuss her journey into the craft, the joy of working with wood, and why she started teaching. Whether you’re a complete beginner or an experienced maker, Louise’s workshops offer a unique opportunity to reconnect with creativity and learn a timeless skill.

Where did your interest in woodwork/carving come from?

I studied interior and environmental design at DJCAD and specialised in furniture designing and making. When I left I couldn’t afford to buy all the tools to continue making furniture so I started making smaller bits and pieces and the spoons were the most popular.

What about spoon carving keeps you engaged in it?

I love that every piece of wood is unique and the grain can do magical things when you introduce it to curves. I see each of my spoons as little characters and I really enjoy coming up with different shapes and textures to give them their own personality.

Why did you decide to start sharing your skills and do workshops?

Someone asked if I would do a workshop for a 30th birthday and it was really good fun, then in 2017 I was approached by the lovely Anna of Guardswell Farm to run workshops there and it’s grown steadily over the years. I now teach all around the country sharing my passion for spoons with people who are mostly complete beginners. It’s so fun to see people get stuck in to making and be really proud of what they create.

Do you create other pieces other than spoons?

When I’ve got time I love mucking about in my workshop making other things. At the moment I’m having great fun making brushes, so hoping to run brush making workshops in the future. I also work installing exhibitions, my most recent project was leading the installation design team at the Dundee Design Festival. It’s so fun to work on such a massive scale, and then have days in my workshop where I make wee beautiful pieces by hand.

And finally, approximately how many spoons have you ever carved?

This is something I’m not exactly sure of. I know that during Covid when I was in my workshop a lot I made 100 spoons in May 2020, but in normal circumstances I don’t get that much time in my workshop. It’s definitely in to 4 figures, but maybe not quite reached 5 figures yet, haha! That’s not including all the spoons I cut out for people participating in my workshops.

You can find out more information about Louise’s workshops and how to book through the Events section on our website.