I’m a wood artist residing in Coquitlam, British Columbia. My work has been shown in many exhibitions and galleries throughout North America. I have also demonstrated at various national and regional symposia and for numerous woodturning clubs. I have taught week-long courses at the John C. Campbell Folk School, the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, and École Escoulen, as well as numerous single-day workshops for local clubs.

After a brief and unimpressive introduction to woodworking in junior high school, I began to engage with wood more seriously as a graduate student. My aim was to design and create experimental musical instruments. After relocating to BC, I associated with a rough crowd at the local woodworking club. The most intriguing activity at the club was its annual 2x4 challenge, where members crafted something using only an 8-foot 2x4, glue, and finish. One of my 2x4 projects was an automated programmable xylophone that required some rounded parts— a good enough excuse to add a lathe to my small arsenal of tools.

While completing that instrument, I quickly discovered that turning wood on the lathe was addictive. At that point, my obsession shifted from instrument building to woodturning. I spent a few years making the usual functional turned items, but a demonstration by Frank Sudol opened my eyes to the possibilities of expression in artistic woodturning. I came up with the idea of puzzling illusion vessels. After taking a particularly enlightening class with Jacques Vesery, I created my first puzzling illusion vessel. Since then, my wood art has continued to expand into new areas.

I have enjoyed exploring various surface enhancements, such as burning, pyrography, carving, and colouring. I take pleasure in creating pieces on the lathe that don’t appear to be turned. While I’m not opposed to working without the lathe, nearly every piece is based on a turned form.