Welcome!  I take great pride in creating original Folk Art.  My work would be considered representative of the American Farmhouse Era.  My goal is to produce a product for your home that helps you connect with elements from the past

If you are interested in my custom design services, please contact me with any questions and/or project ideas.  Inquiries for custom Folk Artwork will include a free written estimate.  I would welcome the opportunity to collaborate on a project with you.

Please visit my Folk Art Gallery, page to view examples of the 2D and 3D Folk Art that I have previously designed and created for other satisfied customers.  If you are interested in purchasing any of my Folk Art, please contact me via the web site or call 502-939-3641.

My folk art is representational.  Pieces evolve from curiosity, imagining, and questioning.  I collect and live with found objects, old scraps of wood, leather, rusty hardware - anything that ignites a thought of "how" or "what if" - what is possible with this or these materials?  My mind is always working on pieces.  The process is fluid.  I don't always know how the pieces will turn out.  My vision for the pieces might change as I manipulate the media.  The process is about discovery.  With each piece, I grow more confident as an artist.

Once I have a vision, I begin with wood, selecting salvage that best permits me to achieve idealized size and form.  Often the wood must be glued and blocked into its rough form.  Then I use various saws to rough-out the basic figure.  It is at this point that my piece might change, depending on the characteristics of the wood.  The piece only begins to take on a recognizable form when carving details.

I utilize various carving tools:  traditional knife carving, chisels, and the more contemporary rotary tools.  Once my figure has been fashioned, I consider "accessories".  What pieces of found history can I add that will accentuate the details I'm trying to display?  How would the addition of these objects better assist in giving this piece a more realistic or whimsical character?

The final step of my process involved "dressing" my piece.  It is the combination of acrylic paints, toners, sanding/distressing techniques, and application of wax or polyurethane finishes that give my work an additional time-worn quality.  It is this attention to surface detailing that I feel makes my work distinctive.

In a recent piece entitled "Necessity...The Mother of Invention", I gained inspiration from an industrious Carolina Wren that I observed this past summer as it scurried about seeking a suitable nesting site.  With little regard for me or my activities outside my workshop, this little bird engineered a nest in a small metal box in the course of a few hours.

Using recycled poplar, I carved an adult Carolina wren and two of her chicks.  I used the combination of my band saw, a carving knife, and rotary shapers to achieve my form.  I immediately envisioned the "nest site" inside a pair of stacked porcelain pots.  I fashioned a nest from copper wire and baling twine, used 1/4" copper tubing to shape a worm for mother's mouth, and mounted the entire piece on an old barn wood scrap.  The piece was then detailed with acrylic paint and a matte polyurethane finish.

My evolution as a folk artist has been a gradual process.  It started during childhood when touching and doing were a natural part of my learning style.  My first recollections of formal art training are of middle school wood shop and high school art classes.  Instruction in using a variety of hand and power tools in 7th grade shop gave me the confidence to attempt early projects on my own.  Learning the importance of detail in sanding and applying finishes have proven beneficial to the development of my surface finish techniques.  The specialized instruction I received from Mr. Tubbs in high school art classes cemented the principles that I am now able to utilize.  Attention to scale, proportion, and composition are elements that I must consider as I plan and execute each of my pieces.

My real love of working with wood was a post college experience.  A family member mentored me in construction functional oak furniture.  The rest of my technical training has come from personal experience, research, observing actual folk art pieces, and talking with other artists.  The process of trial-and-error, in large part, led to the skills that I have since developed.  More recently, I attended a workshop that enabled me to use new products and paint techniques.  The ability to achieve a more aged effect on my pieces should prove beneficial to the evolution of my product.

I realized I had a natural aptitude for "making stuff" with my hands and a natural curiosity to observe the world around me.  The acquisition of new knowledge, materials/tools, and experiences will enable me to continue to develop my techniques.