Llwyau Caru/Love Spoons

 
 
A portrait of antique Lovespoons, some held in Welsh museum collections.  They were carved from a single piece of wood, and gifted as a token of affection and betrothal. There is meaning in the symbols - hearts, keyholes, wheels and diamonds, telling of true love and good fortune.
 
One of a series of four prints, created for an exhibition curated by Elen Bonner under the theme of 'Aelwyd'.  Aelwyd, the title of the exhibition, is Welsh for hearth – a word synonymous with home. Through their material, making, story or use, the objects in the exhibition explored a deep-rooted sense of belonging and home.
 
The prints I made for Aelwyd were created using three separate overlaid blocks, one for each colour.  I took as my inspiration antique household tools and objects, things that had been handed down in families, that had been used, loved and cared for, whose value over time transcends their everyday use.  They become like old friends, well worn and polished by many hands over the years, a physical memory and tangible link to family, home and peaceful domestic life.  The images start as sketches drawn directly from life, I have to have flowers somewhere in my work, and the patterns of shadows almost always feature.
 
Image size 45 x 45cm/overall size 55 x 63cm
Printed by hand onto cotton paper.