About Me

My wife and I have lived in Pacific Palisades, California since 1996. We have raised our 3 sons (Jimmy, Greg & Rex) here in West LA, having attended Harvard-Westlake High School before graduating from University of Southern California (USC), University of Michigan (UMich) and University of Texas(UT), Austin, respectively.

In 2010, when the youngest of my 3 sons was leaving for college, spare time prompted me to search for a new hobby, a pastime; something to distance me from the TV screen and computer. Afternoons and weekends spent on the bleachers watching year around sports were a thing of the past and I was soon to enter a new phase in my adult life as an “empty nester”.

My long-time appreciation for wood craftsmanship and seeing a Ray Allen segmented vase in a museum in late 2009 provided the impetus to learn the ‘Art of Woodturning’ the following year. My goal was to study this art form and become skilled enough to produce pieces that I would be proud to display as art in any environment, as well as produce functional pieces that would prove useful in one’s home. My desire then and now is to utilize the characteristics in raw wood to bring design, form and beauty to a finished piece of wood art. Woodturners are often asked “What got you into woodturning?” and the answer typically is our desire to use raw wood to create something by hand of artistic or useful interest to others. In wood it is to bring out the inner beauty of grain and color hidden under bark in a form pleasing to the eye and many cases touch. We explore the depths, yet stopping at ideal moments to highlight all of the beauty within that piece of timber.  It has been said in woodturning that Material + Form + Process = ART. That is, all 3 components are ideally needed: first understanding where the beauty may exist in a raw piece of wood, secondly creating the optimum shape or form that pleases the eye and lastly knowing & implementing necessary techniques by which to create said ‘Art’ piece. The unique qualities of each piece of wood make all of my creations one-of-a-kind.

As a member of the El Camino Woodturning Guild in Southern California, I must thank fellow woodturning Guild members for accelerating my learning curve. Additionally, having taken classes taught by woodturning professionals such as John Beaver, Malcomb Tibbetts, David Ellsworth, Mike Mahoney, Stuart Batty, and John Jordan have been instrumental in enhancing my woodturning interests and finished pieces. Their expertise has inspired me to explore endless design possibilities with an emphasis on ‘Form’ and ‘Finish’.

My favorite woodturning art piece was my last one, but my best…………..will be the next one!