I was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. This area is my home, my stomping grounds and sometimes the source of my current canvas…wood.
Starting in 1984 I watched, helped and then worked in the family ceramics business. Casting, cleaning greenware, glazing, running kilns and sweeping up. In 1991 the business morphed into a retail florist and I worked my way up to Lead Fresh Floral Designer. I still carry an FTD Master Floral Designer certification and worked in the industry for 24 years. During these years I was also a musician (piano, sax, bassoon and bass guitar) and a Dj, running my own mobile company and working in 2 popular local clubs.
In spring of 2011 all of that changed. A car accident caused a minor concussion and major post-concussion syndrome complications that created a physical disconnect between my creative mind and the logical side. Creativity was literally “turned off” for most of 18 months. My wife “made” me take a class at John C Campbell Folk School to get away and relax for a week. Woodturning was what I picked even though I had no experience but could probably identify a lathe if I saw one in a catalog. First day of class I really didn’t want to be there and had a serious headache. We had spent a lot of money to get there so I decided to just give it a try. Now, I’m sure this isn’t what actually happened but the way I remember it is the moment the tool touched the first piece, my headache stopped. I had an old wobbly lathe lined up off Craigslist by the time we got home and haven’t looked back. I really started working on making pens as that’s all I could do with the equipment I had. With some experience and confidence, I bought more equipment and ended up going back to John C Campbell for another week of class. For the record, JCCFS is now one of my absolute most favorite places on the planet and I have been there 6 times, the last 2 trips I was the Assistant Woodturning Instructor in a class run by Kirk DeHeer.
Like many, I started as a hobby turner. Trying to learn and understand the craft, sharing things when I could and enjoying the ride. As things happen people wanted to buy some of the items I turned and I decided I also wanted to sell supplies to other woodturners. My company, The Walnut Log, was formed in 2014 and provides a wide range of products for woodturners.
As I developed and evolved as a woodturner myself, I began teaching others. One of the best ways to share what you’re passionate about is to teach. Local demos turned into travelling demos. Those lead into National and International Symposiums demonstrations as well. I am Co-Chair of the Woodworking Studio and one of the woodturning instructors at Craft Alliance School of Art and Craft in St. Louis, and love being able to share what I have learned with my students.