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In the fall of 2004, I enrolled to study woodcarving under the man of many talents Jon Alley. This would be my final class studying fine woodworking at Bucks County Community College. ​I didn't realize at the time that this class would open the door to what would become my calling and passion in life. ​Previous to this class I did enjoy the act of shaping wood whether it was guitars or various projects. Jon would bring in examples of his work, and I was always blown away and

I never put time limits on my work, focused on refining a piece to it's fullest potential.  I began Bienvenido #5  thinking it would take between 4-8 weeks. As I  created the piece it became apparent that to truly reach it's full potential technically, visually and energy wise it was going to take much longer. The piece took twelve months in total. ​technique : I almost always carve with my work resting on my lap. It is most comfortable to me while giving me the ability to l

The laurel wreath is a sign of victory, eternal youth. In Greek mythology Apollo is in love with Daphne. Daphne's father  transforms her into a Laurel tree to avoid Apollo. The laurel becomes his sacred tree and a reminder of Daphne's eternal beauty.  I have been concentrating on the form of mirrors for over 10 years now and love the concept of interaction between the viewer and piece. I wanted to create a work that would entangle the viewer with the carving. I spent a good a

When I got an email to make the 50 signs for Dogfish Head I was excited. I love anything stars/Flag related and actually had been wanting to create something with this feel for a while so it came at the perfect time. I first came up with three various approaches to replicating the DFH American logo in wood at 2 foot by 14 inches. The first approach being a silk screen on flat wood. The second to personally hand rout each one. Or, third, to have a CNC computerized machine cut

I consider TO DREAM WITHOUT      . an abstract spiritual composition combining many concepts from science, existence, anatomy, nature, jazz theory and improvisation. The piece is based on a poem that I wrote titled TO DREAM WITHOUT DYING. While I enjoy working in all styles of art, I really love the challenges and freedom of abstract works. I think from an outsider's perspective abstract can be random and without thought. Not until I started working with abstract concepts did

In 2012 I sent a random email to one of my favorite beer companies Dogfish Head to see if they would ever be interested in collaborating on projects. I not only loved their beer but also their style. I was excited to hear back from Lindsey about creating their 5th Anniversary gifts that would be able to hold roughly 8 bottles of beer that mounted on the wall.  I created 21 "beer racks" for the first run that year. It really challenged me to get good at approaching production

I had been wanting to build a cabinet with a carved front panel for a couple of years when I finally decided to focus on this project. When I begin the design process there are many variables at play. The thought process is usually figuring out a way to capture and express artistically what is going on in my life/mind. Will it be abstract or known? Will it be functional or sculpture? For this piece I knew I wanted a striking, powerful object that would provide as much 3 dimen

During this time period at Ibanez guitars there were a lot of fun custom projects coming way from Ozzfest to Sony Halo 3 but this was my favorite by far. (and still is) ​One of my earliest memories was at 5 years old when the Phanatic ran across the top of my Dad's car pressing his face against the back window where I was sitting and completely terrifying me.  I was raised a Phillies fan. Dreamed of playing baseball for them but this is as close as my skills got me to the fie

about the piece:. While creating the Apollo Mirror this summer I became very obsessed with listening to Marvin Gaye's What's Going On, especially the Detroit Mix. It is a true masterpiece and maybe the most intelligent album ever created both on a music and social level. Poverty, lack of jobs, quality industry moving out of our country, terrorism, education, hatred, fear, lives devoted to social media, ignorance, exploitation, gun violence, people in power abusing their posit

Note:  Roughly a year after this project was completed the world lost Tim. I always looked up to Tim and feel fortunate we finally got a chance to work together on a project. He was an amazing force and spirit that I miss every day.  Distilling sign project: This project entailed creating 40 promotional signs for the launch of Dogfish Head's new spirits line featuring a vodka and two versions of gin.  Because of the fine detail, time frame and amount of signs on this project

In 2012 I was asked to take part in an exhibition where artists were given a portion of a Poplar tree that stood next to Wharton Esherick's studio. As a continuation on the themes/concepts I was working on at the time under "abstract anatomy" I designed and carved TO LOVE IS TO SAVE over a 5-month period Wharton Esherick  is known as one of the pioneering craftspeople of the 20th century. He elevated furniture to an art level creating his own unique style of furniture, sculpt

My journey into bringing my own unique concepts to the field of woodwork/wood art and sculpture took motion in 1999. While attending Temple University for jazz performance I was hired at Ibanez guitars to perform quality control on guitars eventually turning into specializing in repair and custom work over an 11 year period. My first day I was immediately drawn to a shop full of woodworking machinery that was no longer much in use. I was always customizing my guitars growing

As my first year of studying fine woodworking was coming to an end my teacher Mark encouraged us to create a piece for an annual woodworking competition/exhibition held at the Wharton Esherick Museum. Wharton Esherick is considered the dean of American craft bringing elements of artistry and sculpture to the field of woodwork from the early 1900's to 1970. His awe-inspiring home and studio are located roughly 40 minutes from Philadelphia.  I was excited to find out that the 2

My 3rd an 4th semester in the fine woodworking program I took classes in table construction, chair making, design, production techniques and architectural woodwork. Many of the pieces I created I no longer have nor have pictures of. The two pieces that I do however still own are from my table making class. ​​I chose to make two coffee tables to utilize techniques and joinery learned over the semester as well as techniques from other classes. insecTABLE ​The first piece was in

One of the highlights of 2004 was going to Dallas, Texas to be a part of the  Eric Clapton Crossroads festival as an employee of Ibanez guitars. It was an incredible weekend filled with a ridiculous lineup of so many guitarists that influenced me growing up.  I suggested to create a special guitar to be displayed for the event and designed/created the "Texas" guitar in less than two weeks.  ​The "Texas" guitar is one of my favorite pieces I've ever made. I sprayed it with a d

As I look back at 2004 it is a year that laid the foundation for who I became as an artist/woodworker. Moving into my new house, no longer in school and having limited machinery I began to create more "sculptural works" as well as develop what has become the style I have become most accustomed to which is creating works out of single panels of wide wood. One of the first works made in the second half of that year was "Self Portrait" carved out of basswood. It was mostly impro

2005 was a continuation of using single wide mahogany boards to create descriptive works that were based off of poems I wrote.  They were minimalistic pieces due to lack of tools, but I also saw the opportunity to use the boards to mount objects to.  I saw this as a huge advantage versus someone who creates on canvas. The first three works feature the four tiered "E" that I was using a lot at the time. ​The first work created that year was When She Sleep. The work features a

Once again, I was looking forward to receiving the invitational brochure to find out what the theme for this year's Esherick exhibition would be. I like having a theme because it challenges me to design and create works that are thoughtful and unique while having a focus.  This year's theme was Animals in Functional Form. At the time I only had a few carving gouges and a lathe, so I focused on creating an object that combined both.

I began to think of design concepts as it is always my first thought to go a little outside the box.  Keeping the functionality is important but pushing form is always priority. The first piece I designed was based on a poem I wrote called A BEAUTIFUL WOMB. I wanted to create a four-sided cutting board that could be viewed as a sculpture when not in use. I wanted to also draw the viewer into the center or "womb" part of the work as the outside carved mahogany spirals into the