Carole Rothman

I was a teacher of psychology, writer, crafts person and cake decorator long before I became a woodworker. As a teacher, I took pleasure in helping students understand the ins and outs of human behavior. As a writer, I specialized in elder care and caregiving, finding new ways to help people with their situations. As a crafts person, I enjoyed creating beautiful and useful objects out of fabric, wool, and other soft materials. And as cake decorator, I developed my own style of cake "sculpture", recreating objects, furniture, wine bottles and many other things out of edible materials.

When I started working with the scroll saw, I realized that there were tremendous possibilities with this relatively safe, user-friendly tool. I was intrigued by the use of the scroll saw to create bowls that looked as though they had been turned on a lathe, but far more simply. Using my crafts background, I started to create bowls using fabric effects like plaids and gingham, bowls with swags, and bowls with interesting shapes. I took notes on all my projects, and used them to write a book that would introduce others to the joy and fun of making bowls with the scroll saw. As I continue my work, I come full circle, returning to teaching and helping, but in a new and exciting area.