I came across this wonderful poster at the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, MA the other day, and wanted to share.  It captures a lot of what I am thinking about these days.  Market season is nearly upon us, and I find myself anticipating the conversations I will have with and questions I will field from prospective customers.  Why should we invest in craft ..read more

I recently spent a delightful day working with Peter Lamb @gerrishisland at his lovely home in Kittery, Maine.  He wanted to get himself set up to turn bowls on an electric lathe, so we spent the day tinkering and turning.  For those of you who don’t know Peter, he is both a wonderful person and a fount of woodworking knowledge.  I think I first met him in 2015 at a course with Jögge Sundqvist up at Lie Neilsen Toolworks.  Peter was friends with Bill Coperthwaite, and after Bill passed he became a trustee for Dickinson’s Reach.  Peter has been connected to th ..read more

  Above and below are a few shots of my most recent work. I have enjoyed the meditative time sketching and carving these designs, though they do take a while. I am not sure if the extra 90 minutes of carving will add enough value to make them worth the effort, and this sends me spiraling into the vortex of hourly wage calculation. I know this is not smart, and I know I don’t do this work to get rich, but we all have to earn a living at the end of the day. Bowls like these take a lot of time, when all is considered. First I have to fell the tree, chop it into 4' lengths, end-over-end the ..read more

I am super excited to be selling craft and demonstrating pole-lathe turning in Amesbury, MA on Saturday October 15th (rain date the 16th).  The town center of Amesbury is wonderfully quaint.  Brick store fronts from the early 1800s, narrow streets with colonials and victorians--classic North Shore New England.  If you are in the area and want to get a jump on holiday shopping or see how bowls are turned on a pole lathe, come on by.       I have also secured a spot selling craft at the Fuller Craft Museum's Holiday Shop, which runs from November 19th throug ..read more

Hi all, A few bowls finished drying this week, and are now all painted and oiled and pretty.  So, check out the shop page for new work.  Got my hands on some lovely figured maple, crisp cherry and spalted beech.  And would you look at this box elder! Pow! Email me if you see anything that strikes your fancy. Thanks, Eric ..read more

I agonize over pricing.   Like the roots of the word (οδύνη, agōnia, relating to "struggle" or "contest"), whenever I price a bowl two sides in my brain duke it out.  Did I overcharge, embarrassing myself by assuming my work is worth THAT MUCH!  Or did I charge too little, devaluing my efforts (and myself?) and basically announcing to the world that my work is crap.  Back and forth I go, until exhaustion sets in and I settle on some arbitrary price to get the transaction over with.   Honestly, pricing craft reminds me of grading papers when I was ne ..read more

I had the good fortune of attending the 7th Irregular Spoon Gathering last week, and it was an absolute blast.  Pat @klipnockywoods puts on a great time, and if you could not make it this year, I highly recommend you try next time around.  I met Pat in 2015, maybe 2013, at one of Oliver Prat's gatherings at his place in the Catskills.  Those were great events, full of creative inspiration and community, and thankfully Pat followed suit with his own gathering at his place in Arkport, NY.  I was unable to attend until now, and I am so glad I made it this time around. Pat and ..read more

A few months ago several of my students asked if I could teach them to carve spoons, and with the summer here we found a day to sit down and carve.  We went over the basics of design, axing blanks, knife grips and the idea of "stops," and even a bit of chip carving.  It was a lot to fit into one day, but they were sponges and learned a ton.  Tentative in the morning, both were making bold cuts by the afternoon.   As with all teaching, I learned a lot myself.  For example, I realized that busting open a round is not something everyone can do quickly or easily--luckily I ..read more

Last summer, my daughter Mae went to sleep-away camp.  While preparing for the adventure and going through the packing list, she decided to bring a wooden bowl and spoon to fulfill the "camp utensils" requirement.  I loved the idea of her taking a piece of home on this adventure--something familiar in an unfamiliar environment.  Apparently, the bowl was a hit among the other campers.  Mae got lots of complements on her stylish treen from her friends, especially from a very dear friend.  This friend (call her K) made it known that she would love to have a bowl of her ow ..read more

 I have been away from my workshop a lot this winter, but spoons travel well.  These four are now up in the shop if anyone is interested.  Just email me at ericgoodson38@gmail.com. 10" Cooking Spoon with flower chip carving, white birch and walnut oil. $45 5.5" eating spoon ("dolphin" style), with shipwreck kolrosing and shell carving, birch.  $40 Lefty eating spoon, white birch, with Meander carving. $40 Righty teaspoon with chip carving and flower. $35 ..read more