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My Company: Concept Grove Inc.

I come from an artistic family, so I've been creative all my life. My formal training was at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York.  I have a design degree in environmental design, with a minor in sculpture. I also studied at the School for American Crafts, a prestigious woodworking school at RIT, but the majority of the skills that I use today are self-taught.

My professional Journey:

I wanted to focus on large sculpture after school, but I had an epiphany; Most people don't have the space for large sculpture.  so, I laid the sculpture o its side, put a piece of glass on top and made sculptural coffee tables.

My materials:

I started in steel, but enjoyed the natural beauty of exotic woods.  When I first was introduced into exotic woods - murals by Mother Nature - I was blown away!  I still work in steel, bronze, copper and glass.  Most recently, I've started incorporating semiprecious stones, such as opal, mother of pearl, onyx, malachite, lapis and turquoise, into my designs.

My process:

During the past 20 years, I've developed a polychrome finish with a copper base, meaning I take real copper and copper-coat the wood.  Then, I apply glazes, stains and chemicals to build up a rich finish.  No one piece is ever the same.

What's next:

I'm moving in two directions. The first involves slicing veneer into small pieces, changing the grain direction and then splicing the pieces together to create a patchwork.  The Gem series is the other direction, and I believe it will become my signature.

Three words that describe my products:

Tactile, inquisitive, spiritual

Three words that describe me:

Enthusiastic, curious, daring