My love for wood began when I was a child refinishing wood furniture with my Dad. I also mixed colors in the textile industry and painted corporate art in California for a few years. The latter two were rich experiences in colors, textures and salable art, on a professional level.
I have participated in some of the best art and craft shows, all over the country, learned from many experienced artists along the way and taken a few courses here and there. I am glad that I have limited my conventional education, in terms of woodworking. Sometimes 'thinking outside the box' comes more easily to those who are not inside it. The hallowed walls of Physics, Nature and Imagination, along with a close relationship with wood and it's properties, have served me well.
Basically I make sculptural panels and apply them to furniture and doors. I make the cabinets, table, doors etc. in their entirety... From the beginning, in the 90's, all of my panels were of a contemporary nature, of different woods, and in their natural colors (finished with a mixture of Polyurathane, Tung Oil and Linseed oil). I still explore that endless labyrinth of design. But I have recently, been infatuated with Live Edge Burls and Reclaimed Wood. Both of which I see as part of the "Rustic" category. I hope to do them justice when mixing the Rustic with the Contemporary Sculpture that I've been working with for so long.
It's hard to answer the question; "What inspires you". Inspiration can be minute, like a whisper. And it can hit you like a ton of bricks. Basically one builds on what they've already done. Each time you create something, good or bad, you are climbing to a new height. After each step, the things that affect or inspire you are different than before.
If there were 3 waterfalls that fell into one pool. And each brought with it one of the following 3 things, I would say the contents of this rare pool describes pretty well, what inspires this artist. They are; "Unique", "beautiful" and "something that my limited human abilities can accomplish".
It's not particularly difficult to make something UNIQUE. There are many unique things that can and have been made, that are utterly atrocious. It's no big deal to make something beautiful. People copy beautiful things that have been made by others, all the time.
But, if you think about it, to make something BOTH UNIQUE and BEAUTIFUL, takes talent.
This is what I strive to do as an artist.