One day in 1995 I woke up with an idea out of the blue… “I’m going to get a lathe and learn how to make bowls.” I got a cheap lathe, a basic set of gouges, a book about woodturning, some firewood, and a mail order box of bowl blanks. Early products were basic, but I was hooked. What started as a hobby quickly morphed into an artistic passion, pursuing perfection in design and excellence in the completed object.

While primarily self-taught, I gained important insights from select references and workshops, and relentless practice on nights and weekends. Early instruction on how to turn came from excellent books by Richard Raffan, while ideas on what to turn came from many authors, with Bert Marsh at the top of the list.  Later on, I greatly benefitted from master-class sessions with David Ellsworth and later, Ray Key.  

For nearly 3 decades, I have participated in numerous juried art shows, shown in many galleries, and demonstrated more than half a dozen times at Southwest Association of Woodturners regional conferences. I still greatly enjoy time spent in the workshop. Every piece of wood is unique, offering a new opportunity to create the best possible form within constraints offered by the natural material.