1844 UNION STREET

This sculpture lives in a steep and narrow stairwell that has enormous white walls on both sides. Because the assent (or descent) of the stairs was the prominent characteristic of the space, I designed for the sculpture to echo, through abstraction, the step pattern moving up and down. Due to the narrowness of the stairwell, the piece is intended to be viewed from both ends, which offer distinctly different perspectives and effects. Also, because of the nature of the stairwell as a passageway for human movement, the viewer can experience the shifting dynamic of the piece as they move upwards or downwards. The sculpture is built out of a single piece of California Walnut so the grain is continuous from one end to the other.

FRENCH ARMOIRE

My most recent commission was to design and build an armoire reminiscent of the 17th Century French armoire, but with a modern, minimalist easthetic of my own. The entire piece is built of walnut and stands over six feet high by four feet wide. The solid wood panel in the center of the doors was carved by hand.

BILBOQUET

Bilboquet is the culmination of a two week workshop I did at Anderson Ranch in Aspen, Colorado this summer. I studied with Donald Fortescue, the head of the furniture and design program at CCA, who taught me how to make coopered forms out of wood. Coopering is a traditional method used for making barrels, but has since been developed into a more exact and sophisticated technique employed by sculptors and furniture makers. The end result being that one can create almost any radially symmetrical form out of wood, without having to use a lathe. This piece is the first of many to come...

MEINTS COMMISSION

The design for this bed frame was directly inspired from a dining bench that I had made several months past.  My clients wanted me to replicate many of the same features including the butterflied head-board and tapered legs, but this time, instead of inlaying the supportive butterflies in the back and with the same wood species, I made the butterflies a feature in the front of the headboard and used ebony so that they created a stronger contrast.  I also used the ebony as plugs in the feet.

LES DEUX AMIS QUI MARCHENT

My newest sculpture comes out of some experimenting I've been doing with dry-stack lamination and mold building.  The technique has allowed me to extract more dynamic and lyrical forms out of wood.  As a result, I have been able to approach figurative forms in my work, hence the title, "The Two Friends Who Walk".

WALNUT DINING BENCH

This bench was built from two beautifully figured pieces of California Coastal Walnut.  I felt very fortunate to be able to use them.  The base is built with four hand-cut mortise and tenon, and the two back boards are supported by a pair of three inch high butterflies.  Take note of the parabolic curves carved on the front and back legs.  These curves are reminiscent of my previous design for the "spider table" seen below, and is becoming a signature aesthetic of mine, as are the tapered legs. 

SPIDER TABLE

My design for a coffee table, which I have dubbed "Spider Table" due to it's insect-like profile, is built out of ash. The table top sits 17'' above the ground and is 18'' in diameter. The catalyst for this design came out of my clients desire for a small, elegant, and light-colored table to be used in a sitting room. I am very pleased with the result, and intend to do a production line of the coffee table in the near future.