Artist Profile

I have always been creative and constructive. I can recall painting meaningful images as a child in kindergarten, throwing clay vessels on a wheel in junior high school and performing all manner of assembly and repairs around the house. I also have a life-long fascination with photography. So, when I began to pursue my creative side, I found that I have a broad spectrum of capability with both my hands and eyes.

In January 2000, I assembled a lathe my wife gave me for our wedding anniversary which opened a whole new world of creative expression.  It was not until I reflected upon life lived in a number of large metropolitan areas that I came to appreciate the moments of solitude where it is just me, a machine and a mass of wood.   Here is where I longed to be, applying my skills, a little luck, and God’s grace to reveal the wood’s finished surface in producing an object of beauty.

As a result of realizing a need to produce images to document my wooden objects of art, I began to seriously pursue learning how to use my camera; which transformed my fascination with photography into a passion. This passion has also transformed into a means of creative expression. I find majesty in my surroundings and aim to bring out the best of what I see in the natural, reflecting the unaltered realism of the world so it may be perceived as a work of art.

Since I began woodturning, I have gained a greater appreciation for what my hands can achieve. When possible, I seek the wisdom of others and apply myself to gain a greater awareness of art, history and technology.

I am a member of the following organizations:

  • American Association of Woodturners
  • Tennessee Association of Woodturners (Chapter President 2008 - present)
  • The Woodturning Center
  • American Craft Council
  • The Tennessee State Museum
  • Photography Net

I have studied and earned degrees from 2 prominent American Universities; a BS from The Pennsylvania State University and an MBA from Tennessee Technological University.

In April of 2003, I had 2 wood art objects selected for inclusion in the Permanent Collection of American Contemporary Art at the Tennessee State Museum.   In addition to having wood objects in collections throughout the USA, my items are owned and on displayed in Italy, Sweden, Israel, England and Canada.

My photographs have also achieved acclaim by winning contests, being included in print, websites and educational displays. One of my images was selected to grace the cover of a book published by the Italian Cancer Society (Donna tra… Immagine e Realta’ - Maturano 1907 - una storia di moda lunga… 100 anni - © 2007).

In August of 2008, I was accepted and participated in a Woodturning Master Class at Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass Village, CO under the tutelage of David Ellsworth. This class allowed me to further explore the style and form of objects that I strive to produce at the lathe. Aditionally, the location of the class gave me an opportunity to explore photography in the brilliant light and setting of the Rocky Mountains! This experience will be immediately reflected in all of my work.

Artist Statement

I am awed by the wonders and beauty that surround us in our environment. We humans often take little notice of nature’s most benevolent gift; trees. I strive to preserve a part of each tree I work with and also to produce images of what I see to give you a sense of the beauty I find in this world.

By only using wood from already felled trees, I find satisfaction in knowing my art is being created with material that would otherwise be discarded or wasted in a chipper. In a way, my work in photography is also an act of preservation. Capturing an image from a moment in time serves to preserve the light and scene. The image can carry forward what was there for that moment, even if the entire scene changes in the next. The artistry is in capturing what was meant to be captured in a way that makes it unique and timeless.

When selecting wood as a medium to produce objects of art, it was natural that I gravitated toward God’s greatest creation in vegitation. I admire God’s artistry in creating a material that has such broad application. Each piece has it own unique character, grain pattern and form, from which I strive for revelation through the process of turning, carving and finishing. I find pleasure in selecting work pieces from the refuse of people who are oblivious to the treasure that exists within a fallen log or rotting stump. In today’s media onslaught of the Green Revolution, I am confident that my work is indeed an act of preservation. The act of recycling a discarded nugget into a finished item gives me joy, watching the surface of the form as it is revealed and witnessing the treasure as it is released is an amazing part of the process.

My hope is that you also find my images and objects to be items of beauty.  May my efforts in producing these works of art act to remind you of the beauty in our surroundings and the unselfish quality of the tree, one of nature’s most benevolent gifts.