It was while working as a finish carpenter in Beverly Hills, that I became increasingly frustrated with the fact that I had no creative control over the final results of my efforts. I needed to be more than just a craftsman, I vitally needed to have complete control over the final result. That’s when I decided to enroll in art photography classes, at UCLA, at night, while continuing to support myself as a carpenter. It was a fantastic experience! I had never been so excited about anything in my entire life. I couldn’t wait to get off work when I would grab my camera and set out to shoot that week’s assignment, often working late into the night developing film and making wonderful black and white prints. I was driven to do my very best; and my efforts paid off, in class, when my favorite instructor told me that I should not be working on houses and encouraged me to qualify for an MFA program.

However, while on a visit to family and friends in England, in 1984, I happened to see a TV special, entitled “Touch Wood,” about a furniture making school. Like Brian Boggs, I had never really considered the fact that designing and making wooden furniture could afford a truly artistic outlet for myself. And, in the summer of 1986, I found myself enrolled in a one year intensive program called “Fine Craftsmanship and Design,“ at England’s leading furniture college. Once again, I was incredibly excited about what I was doing and was driven to do my very best; being the first to arrive an hour before classes started and the last to leave, well after dark. While there at Rycotewood College, I discovered the writings of James Krenov and immediately knew that my path was set.

I returned to southern California, in 1987, and to my old carpentry job, while working weekends and evenings perfecting my craft skills with little “training” projects. I managed to take two months off work in the summer of ‘91 to attend a short program at Krenov’s school in northern California. What an exciting experience, working right next to the master himself! I hit it off well with Krenov, and he encouraged me to come back, when I could, for their full nine-month program; which I did in ‘93/’94.

Making furniture has given me the creative outlet that I so desperately needed. And, my “uncompromised” designs have made many friends, both in California and now here in the great state of Western North Carolina. I have been a fan of Brian Boggs for many years, and I am thrilled to have this opportunity to join with the “like-minded” folks at the Boggs Collective.