Meet The Maker: WP Woodcraft

‘Wood’ you believe it, the next interviewee for our Meet the Maker series is Will Priestley, a woodcarver. Will has a background in conservation and began spoon carving in 2014 with wood sourced from local land that would otherwise be burned or left to rot, and has built his business from there.  

Now, with only one other wood related pun that currently springs to mind, and that’s inappropriate at the best of times, it’s time to move swiftly on with the interview…

 

“Simple hand tools remove all the parts of the log that aren’t a spoon.” says Will Priestley.

Please can you introduce yourself and tell us a little about your work?

I’m Will Priestley and I’m a green woodworker specialising in hand-carved spoons. Green woodwork is the practice of using fresh wood rather than dried or seasoned and using the nature of the wood to guide you. The wood I use is a by-product of local conservation projects that would otherwise be discarded and I forage all it myself from within a few miles of my home in Bristol. I use only an axe and knives to go from log to spoons that are made to be used. A well-loved spoon will develop wonderful character over time. To me, there’s nothing sadder than seeing an unused spoon sitting on a shelf! 

Cherry wood salt pot and spoon, hand carved by Will Priestley.

What do you love most about working in your chosen discipline?
At its heart, green woodwork is a very simple craft. I love the fact that, with only four tools, I can fell a tree, saw it in to pieces small enough to carry, split it and carve it into spoons all in the same morning! There are very few crafts that have this simplicity and connection to nature. 

What is currently your most popular creation?
My Japanese-style ramen spoons have been very popular. Unusually for hand-carved spoons, they are made from two pieces of wood which allows me to have a nice contrast of colour between the bowl and handle. I’m not aware of any other spoon carvers selling anything similar at the moment.

Little and large pot stirrer spoons hand carved and  hand painted by Will Priestley.

What are some of your biggest creative influences or inspirations?
I take a lot of inspiration from work in different media. I like to think how certain details on a metal spoon or ceramic bowl would work in wood and how the strengths and weaknesses of each material will affect the final design. I look at the work of other carvers as well, not just the things they make but also their process, in an effort to learn more about my craft and develop my own style. 

Describe your studio or workspace?
I live in a small basement flat so space is not something I have in abundance, but I’m very fortunate to have a small, almost underground area outside: my spoon cave! I don’t need much room, just enough for a chopping block and space to swing an axe!

From log to kitchen: Will's 9 stages of handcarved spoon making.

How do you go about designing a new piece?
The first thing I think about is what I want the spoon to do. Cooking spoons take a bit of a beating so have to be robust, eating spoons must be comfortable in the hand and mouth, jar spoons need to be thin enough to get to the bottom of a jar and long enough that you don’t get sticky fingers! Form must follow function. I often have a rough idea of design but the finer details are done as I make the spoon. Here I can feel it, see it from all angles and tweak wherever I think it needs it. 

What are some of the biggest challenges in your work?
All the aspects of being a maker that aren’t the making part! I don’t think I’m alone in finding the marketing, photography, organisation and all the other things that come with the shift from hobby to something more, are not as easy as some make it look!

Hand carved spoons in a wooden pot with lid by Will Priestley.

What handmade possession do you most cherish?
Bristol has such an amazing community of makers and craftspeople and I’m lucky enough to be friends with a few of them. I couldn’t possibly pick one handmade possession over all of the others but some of my favourites are by artists Sarah Dowling and Jenny Holmes, and fellow spoon geek Jack Labanowski.    

What do you when you are stuck in a creative rut?
If I find myself a little bit lost for inspiration, I try to change things up. I’ll make something un-spoony like a pot or bowl or try a new spoon design or one that I haven’t made for a long time. Sometimes the answer to getting out of a rut is to tweak my technique a little, I’m constantly improving and evolving as a craftsperson and these little changes can lead to huge breakthroughs.

Will needs only four tools to go from tree to spoon...

Where would you like to be in ten years?
As long as I can continue to improve, share my work and inspire others to take up this wonderful craft, I’ll be happy!

Thank you Will for sharing your tales from your journey so far with us – we look forward to seeing you demonstrating your craft and selling your spoons on Saturday 24 & Sunday 25 November at our Made in Bristol Gift Fair weekender at Colston Hall.

You can also see Will’s pieces featured in our first ever Made in Bristol Designer-Maker Gift Guide.

Photography thanks:
Products by Jo Hounsome Photography.
Other images courtesy of Will Priestley.