Woodturning found me in 2000. After a move to a new town, it seems my soul was craving a new challenge. A new way to use my hands, and a new way to say the things I needed to say. Looking through some woodworking magazines, I came across an article about the late David Ellsworth. A man that used the lathe in ways that no one had done before. His mastery of technique and his command of form and balance was all I needed to go buy a lathe and start making a mess. I worked on my own for a while. Relying mostly on books and video tapes to guide me. Then I found a shop where I could take a lesson and let’s just say, the planets aligned and I met one amazing teacher, and to this day, my dearest friend. I watched as he put the tool to wood and I could see he was a master at the things I had been struggling to understand. Over the next few years he answered every call and spent time with me in the shop and in the woods, helping me to understand that respect for the wood is one of the most important tools we have as a craftsman.

I continued to practice and let my work develop as organically as I can. I realized that my style has been influenced by 2 different periods in my life. While serving in the U. S. Air Force, I was stationed in Okinawa, Japan and was able to experience the rich history of Japanese craftwork through the centuries. I was also able to spend time in Washington State and was exposed to the Native American forms from the plateau tribes.

I think the thing that I am most proud of, and the thing that gives my work its humanity, is that I harvest all of my own wood. I am able to cut my blanks from the tree in a way that shows the most respect for the wood, and the final product that I am able to share with customers.