Floyd, VA
I am a second generational wood worker, raised in the forests of Floyd County, Virginia. I have been producing art professionally for 18 years, selling at juried art shows nationwide. I primarily work with sustainably harvested, local hardwood burl to create one of a kind sculptural vessels. The pieces are initially prepared into rough, workable shapes with a chainsaw. For certain pieces, I mount them onto a lathe to be turned, using long-handled bowl gouges and various other chisels. For other pieces, I use grinders to sculpt organic forms by hand. Each piece is then finely sanded and hand rubbed with a urethane based oil to an immaculate finish. I often incorporate crushed stone, mineral specimens, antler, silver and copper powder inlay for dimensional artistic purposes, as you can see in the Desert Ironwood piece in image 3. I used malachite to inlay into the natural void areas, and set it on a deer antler base. Burl lends itself to unique bark inclusions and distinct grain patterns, no two pieces are alike. I focus on form over function, transforming the diseased part of a tree into art.
