About
Back in the early 1980s I was drawn into the world of construction through the original reality show, This Old House. But it was Norm Abram and The New Yankee Workshop that hooked me on building furniture. Who didn’t love the array of tools and Shaker-inspired designs that Norm brought forth each episode? My interest in construction continued into college, when I framed houses during the summers.
While I pondered a career in architecture, my real career passion was to be a surgeon. So that’s what I became. After medical school at the University of Cincinnati, I took my residency training in General Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. After 6 years of training I joined a private practice in Lewiston, Maine. Five years on, we had the opportunity to return to Colorado, where I joined Kaiser Permanente and the Colorado Permanente Medical Group.
It was an honor and a privilege to be a surgeon, and the fulfillment of a life-long dream. I often found myself saying, “Wow, look at what I’m doing, and look at what they let me do.” That being said, the passion for building never left, but only grew. After 16 years with KP, and after much contemplation, the time was right to make a change. The assumption is that I was burned out on medicine. While doing anything for 27 years might cause some fatigue, it was really the opportunity to build and to pursue a second passion that was the force behind this change.
So, with a leap of faith and tremendous support from my wife and family I traded my scalpels for hand planes, the sterile environment of the OR for the sawdust laden environment of the shop, and the fixing of people to the creation of heirlooms.
I make natural furniture that is intended to be timeless in design and generational in quality. Inspiration comes from questioning of the status quo, looking outside the proverbial box, asking questions and contemplating form and function. The beauty of our materials and natural resources must shine, and we owe them the respect to have them last a lifetime.
I hope you’ll join the journey.