Origins

I had been turning trees for family and friends for a couple of decades, when in 2016 I decided to use some of my sons’ old model paint on a few of my trees. Thus was born the Protean Tree. With strong encouragement from early recipients of my work, I began to experiment and expand my production and develop a signature series of trees with a unique set of designs and color effects, topped with my high gloss finish. This was a multiyear process of creating, experimenting, and refining ideas and techniques every step of the way. I’ve made thousands of Protean Trees, and I’m always excited to push the boundaries of my own creativity.

Woods

I am fortunate to live in upstate NY, just south of the wild and magical Adirondack mountains. It is a part of the country that has a wide variety of tree species, and I’ve turned nearly all of them, so my Protean Trees reflect this arboreal diversity.

Oak, maple, locust, yew, ash, beech, pine, elm, cherry, walnut, and many others: I’ve come to know them by their grain, their color, and even their scent. I’m keenly aware of these properties when I start turning my trees, each of which is individual and unique. Because I feel that I’m sharing the stage with the wood I’m working, I deliberately include the tree species when I sign my name on each tree I make.

Ethos

I love the process of creating and drawing inspiration from the shapes and textures of the natural world as well as from classical forms. I always keep an eye out for the shape of a stone in the deep woods or the detail of a finial on an armoire in a museum.  While turning a tree at the lathe, I tap into these sources to guide my decisions on form and details, and in the moment of inspiration, create a tree.

My joy in creating has its counterpart in the joy my work brings my customers, and for that I am supremely grateful.

Over my 25 years of turning, I have made bowls, hollow forms, boxes, pepper mills, and candlesticks. I love making them and always strive for a high aesthetic standard. While I like to think that my renditions stand out, many other woodturners also make these items. 

With my Protean Trees, I created something I had never seen from other woodturners: they are uniquely my own.  In fact, the comment I’ve gotten the most from folks over the years is “They’re so unique.