About Hardwood Studio

thumblargeI've always been involved with something creative. Learning to play guitar at a very young age sparked my creative curiosity. Throughout high school and college, I played in rock 'n roll bands to earn my spending money. Also at that time, I developed an interest in filmmaking.

After landing a job in the TV industry, it soon became apparent that I was pretty good with a camera. A couple Emmy Awards will attest to this.

In the early '80s, I would travel throughout the American Southwest pursuing my hobby of fine art photography with big 8 x 10 and 12 x 20 box cameras. My goal was to capture the intimate details and grand landscapes of the west in the style of Ansel Adams. My favorite destinations were ghost towns like Bodie, California. The arrested state of decay offered a photographic rich environment of stark textures that only large format black and white film could capture. Famous landscape photographer Michael A. Smith was my mentor and gave me the confidence to pursue my artistic interests.

In 1988, I decided to build my own house. Knowing practically nothing about it didn't stop me. Its been said that knowledge is knowing where to find it. I contently questioned all the builders and tradesmen that I could find and practically tackled anyone that I thought could be of help.

After 2 years of crawling up ladders, hanging from rafters, and beating countless nails into submission, I decided that I wanted to make my own furniture. A Shaker candle table looked easy enough to start with, but I needed a lathe. After buying a Record lathe, I began turning the center column without a clue as to what I was doing. Soon, I thought that this tool was the coolest thing ever! What else could I make with this machine.....Bowls!!!!!!!

Every book that I could get my hands on was read cover to cover. Exotic woods started to catch my attention because they were so different from any domestic woods. Then there they were.....BURLS!!!!!! These ugly bumps on the sides of trees were magic. I became obsessed with trying to figure out how to make best use of each one of these miracles of nature. I remember roughing out a large Claro Walnut burl which was to eventually become a low bowl after it dried.

Several months later, I checked on the progress of the Claro as it dried. To my horror, there was a huge crack in its side.This was an expensive chunk of burl! What do I do now?

My first thought was to mix up some Walnut sawdust with glue so that the crack could be patched. The more I thought about it, the more I thought that this would look like an attempt to hide the defect. A few other ideas came to mind, but nothing seemed to be a viable solution. Then it hit me.....Why try to hide the crack?....Why not accent it?

From my travels throughout the Desert Southwest, I always admired the Navajo silversmiths and their use of turquoise inlay. Would this work? It sure did!

The turquoise inlay technique has become a huge part of my artistic identity. Now I look for burls and exotic wood with natural defects so that I may inlay these voids with crushed turquoise, malachite, lapis, and other natural and man-made materials.

I love exploring new mediums to work in. Trying to combine new elements into my work keeps things fresh and keeps new ideas flowing.

Metal work and carving have crept into my sculpture. As I said on the home page, when I combine the metal work with the natural edge Aussie burl slabs, its like George Nakashima meets Crocodile Dundee!

The challenge of learning new techniques and working with new materials integrated with my primary medium of wood continues to inspire my imagination.

 

You can find our studio at:
197 State Rd.
Valencia, PA 16059
724-898-3589

Exhibitions


Customer Comments

A master woodsmith...this work begs to be touched...
M.R.J, Mt. Lebanon, PA

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