“I have always felt a natural affinity with wood and after twelve years working as a radio technician, I felt the need to do something more creative with my life. Originally, I was drawn towards ‘free-form’ furniture as our 100-acre bush block was littered with deadfall timber, the leftovers from the Kauri logging days of the early 1900’s. However, with the 1990 economy very depressed, there was a limited market for original hand-crafted furniture. Fortunately, at that time I met a group of very creative woodturners and realized that there are endless creative possibilities to lathe work.

I am mainly self-taught with a lot of advice and inspiration from many woodworkers as well as artists in other media. At first my emphasis was on using very decorative timber and applying simple form so as not to overshadow the natural beauty of the timber. While this is still a dominant factor in some of my work, I now spend more time creating pieces where my design is the dominant factor and using timber and other materials sympathetic with my designs. These pieces tell stories about who I am, where I live, and the things in life that I am most passionate about. Major influences in my designs come from my natural and cultural surroundings, especially the sea and costal environs, dreams, and life experiences.”