Category
2025, WoodBIO:
Each of my pieces begins with a tree in the forests of Southern Illinois. This tree is harvested by a small, local sawyer who mills it into lumber, which is then sold to an artisan such as myself. I take that wood into my shop, and out comes a beautiful, functional piece for your use and enjoyment.
You may see that many of my works are made from what I call “interesting wood,” or what others might call flawed wood, or even reject outright. Such wood may have voids from weather, insects, or age, or have knots, discolorations, or other imperfections. I find such wood to be beautiful, and prefer working with it to straight-grained, “perfect” wood.
Often, I will fill these voids with epoxy resin. My work has been compared to Kintsugi, the Japanese practice of repairing the cracks in broken pottery with precious metals.
You may wonder why I prefer these kinds of wood. Quite simply, I find that the same thing is true of wood as is true of people; that which is beautiful is seldom perfect, and that which is perfect…is seldom beautiful.
Artist Statement:
My works are made from local wood using hand and power tools. Voids may be filled with epoxy resin. I try to make each item a unique expression of that particular piece of wood.