Chickadee Walkabout Cabinet
Creating one-of-a-kind furniture represents a unique blending of the beauty and elegance of the natural world and that created by the human imagination. Refining the concepts of grace and beauty is the challenge that I hold before me in my life's work.
Woodworking, especially one-of-a-kind furniture making, represents a rare combination of the technical skills necessary to work with wood, and the ideals of grace and beauty. Knowledge of material and confident hand skills used in making objects for generations to come is inspiring and provides a link with cabinetmakers of long ago. And with each piece I create, I commit to an honest, sensitive approach to my work.
Here you'll find images of selected pieces of work and discover something about my passion - the art of furniture design. Please feel free to contact me and thank you for viewing my work.
Background
I studied furniture making at the College of Redwoods in northern California, a program renowned for its excellence in craftsmanship and attention to detail. There, under the instruction of master cabinetmaker Jim Krenov, I developed an extensive background in traditional cabinetmaking techniques and hand skills. The focused environment of school became the setting for me to begin exploring the delicate art of marquetry.
I draw inspiration from the quiet sense of balance in Asian art as well as the work of some of the great designer/makers of the past like Edward Barnsley, Wharton Esherick and my teacher, Jim Krenov. The graceful lines and movement seen in nature also captures my attention and plays an important role in my design process. I feel that making objects that will be used by people for generations to come is both inspiring and a responsibility. It's part of a link with cabinetmakers of long-ago who simply did their best.
I like the idea of a new owner discovering things about a piece long after it's become part of their home - hidden compartments, textured surfaces, surprise carvings - all fingerprints of the craftsman. I enjoy the challenge of a complicated design, the uncertainty that goes along with this type of work and how completely involved I have to be. While the completed piece is very rewarding, the process of making it is the most important part.
Striving to work at this level of refinement over many years has helped me establish new ideas about grace and beauty, and to develop honest values about fine craft. Above all, my goal is to create works that are aesthetically pleasing, while adhering to my artistic values, my attention to detail, and my sense of quality.