Statement of Purpose
"Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it"
- Michaelangelo
I didn’t appreciate the meaning of this quote until I started making wooden items on a lathe. Sure, I would start out with a desire to make a certain thing with a general plan in mind, but inside the wood are grain patterns, colors, and shapes that are entirely unknown. They affect what is made, both the outside and the inside of the piece.
"Many medieval bowls handed down to us are patched or sewn together; you don't bother doing that unless the object is special."
- Richard Raffan, The Art of Turned Bowls
I hope the objects I create are attractive and feel good when you handle them. A wardrobe made in the 1880s still had “good bones” and was worth the effort to refurbish. Another wardrobe made in the 1950s was not. Our daughter refinished the TV and stereo cabinet I made in the late 1980s and is now using it in her home. It is an honor for things that I’ve made to be passed to successive generations.
"When you think you are done, you are really only about half way done"
- John Jordan
As an engineer, I value form, fit, and function. As an artist I also value line, shape, color, space, texture, and value. Combining the two disciplines is sometimes challenging, but the end result is worth the effort.
Passions
Family, Dogs, and Bluebirds.
That’s why I make bluebird houses. I sell them, and occasionally I send them to friends, for free. You see, it helps the bluebirds, and that’s important.