The 'Cariad Lovespoon', my first commissioned carving, is carved from a single piece of black walnut. The spoon was for a Canadian and American couple of Celtic descent, ( Irish and Scottish ). It is in memory of their son Roman and loved one (Cariad), a mechanical engineer who had worked in Wales where he had enjoyed hiking and scrambling in the welsh mountains.

The front of the spoon shows, at the top, Mt Tryfan with the sun behind it, carved in shallow relief and enclosed in a circular frame. The iron gate in front of the mountain motif is after an actual gate that can be seen at the foot of Mt Tryfan. The continuous celtic knot represents the couple's celtic background and the mechanical elements; the pinion, gear wheel and connecting rod, signify the mechanical engineering profession. The Welsh word 'Cariad' carved as insular script letters, roughly translates as 'loved one' and overlays the central portion of the spoon.

Finally the small ring encircling the stem of the spoon above the bowl, represents the 'Iron Ring' which is of particular significance to Canadian engineers and a reminder of their professional responsibilities.

A further element added to the design was the inclusion of canadian geese. This was the suggestion of the couple commissioning the spoon, as they felt a desire for the representation of, some living things on the spoon, to balance the mechanical and inorganic elements. They also related to me the unique significance canadian geese had for them after they had given their son a toy canadian goose in token of their connection when he first left home.

The back of the spoon features some different motifs presented in a slightly more abstract way. The sun with its rays, now tops a regrowing tree stump, the roots of which blend into a looser montage of knot pieces, gear fragments and rocks with the connecting rod merging into the neck of the spoon bowl.