This is the "about me" stuff. I am a native Texan and live in the Dallas area. Texas has been my home my entire life.  I have a wonderful wife who exercises her "first right of refusal" for everything I make.  My children are all out of the house and are each successful in their chosen fields.  Who could ask for more?

I like wood, I always have.  It holds a special warmth and feel that you cannot get from other materials such as clay or metal. Some people have expressed reluctance to pick up a bowl because they are afraid that they will hurt it.  I encourage a hands on approach to my work. If you like it, you should be able to handle it because that is part of the appeal.  One of the biggest complements a piece can receive is "I just had to pick it up and touch it."  My first lathe was a mini-lathe and was limited in what it could handle.  I now have a full size lathe and use both equally.  This hobby is just that, a hobby.  I occasionally sell a piece to "enable" my obsession but the primary goal is enjoyment. 

I have been turning for several years.  I started making bowls on the mini-lathe and was quickly addicted.  No two bowls are ever the same.  Even when I make bowls the exact same size and shape, the inherent differences in woods makes it an impossible task to duplicate a bowl exactly.  Wood cut from the same tree varies drastically from one log to another.  I like the ease of a friction polish and also use an oil base finish from time to time. 

A couple of years ago, I discovered that pens were just as much fun (and significantly addictive) to make.  The variety of woods and other materials available from all over the world is astounding.  They can be as simple or as complex as the imagination will allow.  My primary finish is an acrylic that will last a very long time.  My daily writer has not faded since it's "birth" in 2007.  It is pictured on the top of the Custom Pens page.

In between the pens turning and the bowl turning, I make wooden lidded boxes, birdhouse ornaments and coffee scoops.  The coffee scoops have been especially popular.