Sculpture and Craft Wood
All works shown are for sale unless marked sold, inquire for details, more images, pricing and where it’s located at present. Some works are in Galleries, shows or on display somewhere.
A Bit of History
My parents wanted me to be an Engineer or Doctor to follow in my father’s footsteps, and the only art classes they let me take in high school where Graphic Arts and Drafting, but the thing that got my imagination going was Science Fiction, I remember in my early teen years I read all I could get my hands on. I made a list of all of Robert Heinlein’s books and checked them off as I read them. Ray Bradbury’s books where so beautifully written it was like poetry to me. But when I read Frank Herbert’s Dune I could image the whole scene and painted a mural on my bedroom wall.
So when I went off to college I was able to take more art classes, I thought at first I could apply the art training to Architecture, but when I realized that Architecture is 1% inspiration and 99% grinding out engineering, I decided that was not for me.
I went to small schools and there would be only one professor for each discipline. Jim Clark was my Sculpture professor and he inspired me to take risks and learn from them.
I was drawn to wood because of it’s ease of working, the versatility of use, and it’s beauty. After College I worked with Bill Lachance who restored Juke Boxes and slot machines, later I worked at a cabinet shop restoring antiques and building furniture. From there I started my own company, pretty much doing the same . During that time 2 things happened, Fine Woodworking magazine started up and was promoting the “Furniture as Art” trend and Craft Wood was in it’s infancy.
Finding My Focus
Up until around the year 2003 I would produce one or two sculptural works a year, but I felt I had not found my voice. Sold some works, but I had to put food on the table and pay bills, so from the mid ’80s to just recently, cabinet and furniture making took up most of my time. But then I made a piece called “The Stand”, about 2003, combining woodturning, geometric pieces and found objects. The first place I showed it, it sold instantly, I went “Mmm, I think I’m on to something!” From then on I felt my talent and my first love would always be Sculpture and that has been my focus since. Recently, March of 2023, I have changed professions to be a full time artist!
Process
Most of my works involves Wood turning on a lathe all or in part. I often then modify the turnings, cutting, carving, piecing back together to create new forms. Lately I’ve been exploring plate and platters with embellishment, i.e. pyrography, carving, inlays, segmenting and painting.