Winning ways with wood

Press, 7 December 1988, Page 26

Winning ways with wood

Two Dunedin women have joined forces for an exhibition of compatible woodware at the Cave Rock Gallery at the Arts Centre. Gael Montgomerie’s turned and carved bowls and platters are displayed with a large collection of wooden spoons designed and carved by Jill Gibens, Garry Arthur reports. Only very little wood is needed for a spoon or ladle, and Jill Gibens has taken the opportunity to use species usually available in such small quantities that they are rarely seen in woodware — kowhai, puriri and pohutukawa for example. Some of the spoons are specially designed to go with Gael Montgomerie’s bowls. One pair of elm salad servers is displayed with a large

elm bowl that was turned from green wood, then allowed to dry to an oval shape before being spoke-shaved to produce a flat curved rim. Another spoon, in pohutukawa, suits Gael Montgomerie’s large, flat pohutukawa platter, the rim of which has been carved to hint at a fish shape. Some of Jill Gibens’ spoons have a Polynesian flavour, especially her puriri ladle with its half-coconut shell bowl and her sycamore spoons with painted and incised geometric patterns on the handles. Especially successful in this group are a walnut scoop with a powerful bird’s head handle, and two little laburnum scoops with short handles, subtly carved.