Since the age of 12, I have had a love for working with wood in one form or another.  I began as a young man learning the art of woodcarving from my father.  Over the next 13 years, I completed hundreds of carvings ranging from small ornaments to chainsaw carvings and everything in between.  My carving career would come to a screeching halt when I broke my hand in 2000 playing softball.  As the hand healed, the scar tissue and hardware made in very painful to carve. My creative passion to work with wood again was growing restless and I still couldn't hold a knife.

 

     After watching a woodturner on a tv series that showcased artists, I figured out the next step.  I wanted to try woodturning.  The only problem...  I knew nothing about woodturning and I didnt have a lathe or tools.  One problem was solved Christmas morning in 2000.  My wife surprised me with my first lathe.  I was setup the next day and making beautiful pieces......NOT!!!  I was however good at making shavings in my basement.  Looking back, the first pieces were very crude and not the most pleasing from a design perspective.  As I continued to turn almost daily, woodturning became an obsession and I yearned to gather knowledge anywhere I could.  Four years later, I would become a featured artist in a local gallery in Greeneville, TN and have pieces in two different galleries in Gatlinburg, TN.  The next year, I would be published in American Woodturner.  My pieces were selling almost as fast as I could create them.  I was right where I wanted to be as an artist until another life changing event unfolded.  

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     On Easter morning of 2008, my son was born.  Now, my number one job was to be a Father.  The next year or so, I would pull out of the galleries but would continue commission work.  Over the next few years, my desire to create was still there, but the time to create was not.  I turned some, but I also had picked back up carving.  As my son got older and more independant, more time became available.  Fast forward to present time,  my creative desire is burning hotter than ever and I am developing new ideas and pieces almost daily.  Failure happens quite frequently in my shop, but I will continue to push my own boundaries in order to create the best pieces I can for myself and my clients.

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     The successes I have had would have never been possible without the unwavering support of my wife and my family throughout the years.  I can never repay them for their contributions to this journey.