Woodturned Art Sculpture Commissions

I found wood turned art through my first love in arts: music. I began building custom drums, learning to turn in pursuit of the perfect sound. What I found instead was a love for imperfect, discarded wood. I saw in those pieces of wood what I saw in myself after returning home from a combat tour in Iraq, as well as those I now currently work with as a clinical social worker in emergency departments and research settings.

I approach each piece by letting the wood dictate the journey. I enjoys taking flaws that other woodworkers and woodturners would avoid, and using different techniques and materials, highlight the cracks, inclusions, and bug holes I find. I also enjoy turning green or wet wood, letting it move and warp as it dries, further allowing the wood to express itself in the process.

I use my work to explore themes of radical self-acceptance, life and death, life transitions, and sometimes turns just because it makes me happy. My award-winning work has been featured in galleries across the United States.

ARTIST STATEMENT

I am constantly inspired by people around me who do not know how beautiful they are BECAUSE of their flaws, not in spite of them. We tend to focus on individual imperfections and rough edges instead of looking at the entirety and accepting who we are. I strive to reflect this perspective in my art by not hiding any imperfections I find, instead incorporating them into the piece. Some pieces of wood are nearly flawless, others take extraordinary amounts of work just to keep them together long enough to turn them. All of them have value and beauty and should be celebrated, just as we should be celebrating each other.