About The Artist

Nature and the outdoors were a large part of my upbringing in Michigan. Whether it was camping, fishing, or just hanging out with family and friends, I found myself spending a lot of time outside and observing my environment. Because it was such an integral component of my daily existence, some of the first creating I did utilized natural materials, wood in particular. When I was 19 and on a family trip, I saw a man who was selling chainsaw carvings that he had created, and I became extremely interested in learning how it was done. Upon returning to Michigan, I was inspired to teach myself how to do my own chainsaw carvings. With wood provided to me by grandfather, I honed my craft until I had this skill mastered.

A couple of years later, I started teaching industrial arts in the public school system of Michigan and sharing my love of building and creating with students. I was able to help my students gain an appreciation for doing work with their hands and take pride in their craft, something that I had learned from both my father and grandfather. Being an educator has allowed me to use the experiences gained in helping students rethink how to solve problems to become a better problem solver myself.

As an artist, I enjoy the process of creating sculptures that capture the true beauty of the wild animals that make up planet earth. These animals depend on clean water and plentiful food sources for their survival. Some of these animals are so mystical and some of them are close to becoming endangered or even extinct. The relationship between man and nature is a growing concern for the future of all wildlife. I choose animals from all over the world and try to create a life size sculpture that shows their true beauty. Without their natural habitats these living creatures would not survive. Over the years I have created several types of artwork, but my true passion is creating life size animal sculptures and sharing them with the world. Even if a particular piece I create only raises the awareness of one person that is one more person who knows about the plight of our global environmental changes, whether caused by man or Mother Nature.

With the process of creating playing such a large part in my work, my hope is that the viewer will see it as unique—intent on the making as much as the final outcome.