“My intention is to find order, create harmony, and evoke tranquility in a chaotic world. I pay particular attention to sculpting furniture, designing, and painting to enhance the experience for the mind and body – through the use of colors, curves, and soft edges making each piece more humanly compatible. The most exciting aspect of my endeavor is the unfolding of each piece, seeing how it will relate to the complete body of work and reveal an integrated whole.
“I work to coordinate a variety of techniques, methods, and mediums. For furniture, highly patterned and unusual woods are my medium or choice, although I often integrate other materials including glass, metal, driftwood, and stone. My approach can vary depending on the medium and I try to honor the nature of the material by keeping it close to it's origins – by showing off the wood's grain, pattern, or flaws. Though having worked in this manner for years, I've recently discovered the Zen concept of wabi-sabi, which embodies the beauty of imperfect things.
“Over time I have become aware of the repeating themes in my work, for example circles and organic forms imitating branch shapes. In my furniture I reduce design elements to their simple essence. Whereas the furniture forms are often completely developed before beginning construction, in the painting process I evoke the possibility of happy accident and minimize the element of control by letting the paint reveal it's own result. The abstract and spontaneous methods of my painting balances the careful approach I must have in furniture design and craftsmanship – both for me on a personal level and hopefully in a finished setting.
“For years I've done painting and furniture separately but a new direction has brought a crossover between the two, bringing more color, life, and unpredictability to the furniture.
“To me, art is a synthesis of my personal feelings, the intended function of the piece, the beauty of the wood and paints I select, and the methods I use to shape and apply them.”