She Slayed So Hard She Went Extinct
2025 | Steam Bent White Oak Tray with Oak and Pressure Dyed Veneers, Hand drawn Pyrography Design | 20"x14"x2"
A few years ago, I became obsessed with mega fauna and drew this mammoth skeleton from a book I found belonging to my wife, who is obsessed with giant ground sloths. Coincidentally after I started this piece, our community shop, Highland Woodshop, was commissioned to build a cabinet for a mammoth tusk found under 9th street in Corvallis. I got to spend a lot of time with the tusk, and developed a deeper relationship with the massive creature. I couldn't help but see the mammoth with a pair of red boots on based on their skeletal feet, which look so much like high heeled boots. Once I finished the drawing with the boots on, I knew she had to exist in marquetry. She had to tell her story...
Sometimes a look can be so fierce
A slay so hard
You cease to exist.
The Stargazer
2025 | Steam Bent Oak Frame & Oak Veneers & Brass Rod Inlay with India Ink and Osmo Finish | 15" x 15" x 1.5"
Looking at the stars always brings me in direct connection with my mom. My mom has always been drawn to a night time sparkle for as long as I can remember. A glint of light in the dark, always finding hope in difficult times.
As a kid, I remember star gazing with my mom at the beach. My mom has always been a night owl. Even now, she still stays up too late, and loves it, the way she laughs in the face of a traditional bedtime is one of my favorite things about her. I cherished the times she shared that precious night time with me looking at the stars, on trips to the beach or even at home in our backyard in Atlanta. It made me feel like an adult, an astronomer, an explorer. I created the stargazer tray for her as a gift to thank her for all the times we spent together looking upwards marveling at night sky. Each sparkle is a single inlaid piece of brass rod. I wanted the sky to be black so I used India Ink to blacken the white oak. I love the contrast between the two.
Dreamy Snakes
2025 | Steam Bent Ash with Milk Paint Frame and Natural Wood and Pressure Dyed Veneers | 26"x 20"x2"
The Dreamy Snakes Wall Art piece was designed off a dream I had of a three headed snake coming out of the back seat of an 80s era Volvo sedan. I woke up and quickly drew it, years later I found the drawing and decided to try the drawing in a marquetry design. After the design was complete, I found the perfect cast away scrap of steam bent ash that I carved snakes into to complete the frame. After spending much of my life afraid of snakes, I have recently embraced these wonderful creatures as signs of change and growth for me. Rather than seeing the dream as a nightmare, I felt as though it was a good omen that this wonderful creature was willing grace my dreams with its presence.
Obergefell Tray
2025 | Walnut Frame & Walnut and Pressure Dyed Veneers with Osmo Finish | Various sizes
I was lucky enough to see Jim Obergefell speak at Oregon State University and his bravery and commitment to the LGBTQIA community blew me away. The event also included the university orchestra playing a piece called John and Jim written by Viet Cuong about their love story. I sat in the audience watching Jim see beautiful music being played about his love story and contribution to bringing civil rights to so many. I was so moved, I ran home and grabbed a tray to give to Jim as a thank you for what he has given to me in my own personal life. I had already been making these rainbow trays in both color and natural wood, but I was struggling to find meaning to the trays. I knew I wanted to honor my community, but that day I decided I would keep making the trays and call them the Obergefell Trays to honor what Jim and John's sacrifice gave to me. When my wife and I met in Georgia, it was not legal for us to be married. So in 2013 we did paperwork to protect ourselves in case we found ourselves in the situation John and Jim did. When the Obergefell ruling came down in the summer of 2015, we were legally married shortly after. In my lifetime, I was able to gain civil rights that allowed me to benefit from social systems that allow my family to be protected. Thank you John and Jim for your love and sacrifice.
Here is information about the piece. https://vietcuongmusic.com/john-and-jim-orchestra/
Here is information about Jim and John's story. https://www.obergefell.com/
Circular Reasoning
2024 | Cherry with Pyrographic Designs | 40" x 18" x 17"
The circular reasoning table was made as a commission where the design constraint was to use an existing piece of glass for the top. The constraint challenged me in a good way, and I love the way the design came out. This table too a long time to complete. I wrote a little bit about it on playing possum collective's website. I also wrote a poem about the form of the table.
going around and around and around
a circle broken in half
unable to find wholeness again
until an oval comes to unite them
you can never be the same after you have been broken
but you can heal and find a new shape
