I was born and raised in Western New York. Most of my family worked in the steel industry around Buffalo. I had no real interest in steel and instead “forged” a passion for wood. My first introduction to wood came from my oldest brother Charles. He had a penchant for working wood and his enthusiasm rubbed off on me. I remember the shadow boxes he made and sold that consisted of numerous compartments that held various simple objects. Seeds, dried flowers, skeleton keys, etc. I always found them fun and fascinating as they highlighted and displayed ordinary objects in special ways.

For the last fifteen years, my interest has been for the antique Art of skeletonizing leaves as understood and practiced by the Chinese during the Ming Dynasty and made very popular during the Victorian era in the United States. My latest is a new black and white series that has proven to be incredibly popular. When I first introduced them, I knew they would go over very well but was really surprised when they consistently out sold the traditional colored series. The high contrast of the black leaves on the white background works on many levels. First off, black and white is classic. They are also very classy. They are universal and will work in a traditional decor as well as a contemporary decor. The ghostly (ethereal) qualities of the leaves are amplified with the high contrast. You immediatly understand that you are looking through the leaves.