Homer City, PA
I select wood for beauty, character, and the presence of natural voids arranged aesthetically. In all my work, I inlay individual pieces of stone, shell, and metal within the voids. Additional characteristics of my style include the preservation of natural shapes where present and alteration to more organic shapes where possible. To preserve and enhance the natural beauty of the wood, I use clear finishes. I make both functional and purely artistic pieces, including serving boards, wall and standing art pieces, and tables.
Contained within the wood of each tree is a compelling account of its life and times. These tales fascinate me. Insect holes, bark inclusions, knots, cracks, and other natural voids add complexity and individuality to wood. I use them as design elements, drawing attention to these flaws by using inlay in contrasting colors. For me, wood is like a painter's canvas, one started by nature. The grain and figure are already there, as are the voids. I find patterns among the clusters of voids and create patterns within them, using the inlay materials like paints.
I made the table in the first photograph from a live-edge Big Leaf Maple burl slab. Many natural voids were present: mostly large bark inclusions but also knots, cracks, and other surface imperfections. The inlay is high-quality turquoise and chrysocolla from the American Southwest. My objective was to capitalize on the size of the voids and fit the largest pieces possible to showcase the beauty of the stone. The natural edge of the burl slab presented even more opportunities for inlay. I chose to inlay polished stones within the natural valleys between burl eyes along the edge. I have used this technique successfully with some of my wall and standing art pieces.
