41 Part of Kalina’s commitment to crafting utilitarian wooden tools lies in his love for the forest. That love took root when he was a young boy walking through the woodlands of his native Czech Republic. “Growing up in Czech Republic by the time I was about 4 or 5 years old I was in the forest all day long,” Kalina says. “The forest is just my destiny probably. I cherish all simple things all the time, so the forest is the right setting for me.” No matter what state the material is in, he begins by drawing out a template and cutting a rough outline with his band saw. The piece is then whittled and carved down to the desired shape by hand, which requires dunking each piece in water several times to raise the wood’s grain. The direction the grain flows is important for integrity and strength, with the optimal direction being a flow lengthwise down the spoon. When it comes to hollow-ing out the spoon’s bowl, Kalina is careful to scoop it out sideways across the grain and never from the front or back so as to not pull the grain. The finished product is a finely sanded and polished work of functional art, which finds its way into decora-tive jars more than pots and pans. “I found out that about 80 percent of the people don’t cook with them; they have a jar they put the spoons in, which is fine,” he says. “I am really happy with the status of my spoons but now I say, ‘Please cook with this.’” Eventually Kalina says he would like to transition to crafting spoons from green wood, meaning wood that has not dried out and can be found in its natural state, like a branch or log versus cut and milled lumber. The impetus for the shift is the availability of the material, which would often be free, and the moisture retained inside the wood provides lubrication that makes carving easier. When one spoon is finished, Kalina is ever eager to move to the next one, knowing it will be completely different. Although he plans to continuously refine and change his process, Kalina knows he has found his niche in life. “The competitive spirit has always been something inside that needs to be expressed and haunts me to never just do the status quo, and to do something that can always move you,” he says. “I am glad to have found my way because you are born, you die, and in between you must find something that is reasonable for you in your existence. I have found my niche and found what I want in life, and I don’t need anything else.” www.wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com WBM “I am glad to have found my way because you are born, you die, and in between you must find something that is reasonable for you in your existence. I have found my niche and found what I want in life, and I don’t need anything else.” From cutting boards to spoons and spatulas, Jiri Kalina’s process involves cutting a rough outline with a band saw, carving and sanding. Opposite: Jiri Kalina stands amid his tools and spoons in all stages of completion inside his workshop.
December 2104
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