This is a commissioned piece by Miyazono Spoon of Nakagawa, Japan. Natsumi Miyazono is a practicing artist and woodworker, her primary focus in exhibition work at independent galleries and restaurants. These are very much functional works of art, with her materials informing their utility and design. These spoons are made of various indigenous wood types from traditional foresters in the region. The darker end of the spoons are finished with Urushi, a Japanese lacquer that has been used for centuries for its water resistance and antibacterial properties, from the inner surface of bowls to the exterior of shrine gates (torii). 

When we first came together at the design stage, Natsumi san presented a sketch depicting a pointed tipped spoon, to fit the corners of our jam jars but more poignantly, that it represented the gabled roof of a home, for the “family” in our name and for my mother’s values of togetherness through her matriarchy.

I have gotten to know Natsumi san a bit more as we have used the digital space to pen pal images of the ocean from her shores and then mine, of trees we have fallen in love with, or recipes from our childhood. We are truly fortunate to be recipients of this art and collaboration. Each spoon will come individually packaged with a booklet on care.

In a letter from Nastumi san, in her own words: 

シアトルの皆様に 喜んでもらえたら　嬉しいです。

角のジャムも ちゃんと すくえるかなあ?