I started working in wood in 1986 in Brooklyn, NY with a jigsaw and scraps from the local lumber yard. I have a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in general fine arts, but I learned basic woodworking techniques from watching professional cabinet makers who worked near my first studio. My process - how I create - is the fusion of conventional wood working techniques and those I've invented over the years.

I treat furniture making like sculpture. Flat surfaces are filled with geometric patterns and simple, iconic animal shapes in relief, creating a kind of density of textures and colors. When I start a piece that's not commissioned, I have a general idea of the dimensions, but usually not a very pre-determined idea about the carving, so I don't work from sketches which makes everything much more interesting for me. Commissioned pieces make up for the fact that there are certain parameters within which I need to work by always expanding the possibilities of what I can create, and I love that!

In the studio, it feels like I have a kind of fluency with the machines and the wood - ideas that come to me in the moment can be realized quickly. Every piece is hand painted with multiple layers and glazes. The technique is the same on each piece - one I 'found' by accident a long time ago - a happy mistake. I love colors and I think my pieces are as much about color as they are about the carving. The two go hand in hand for me.

Custom work can be arranged via email or by appointment or both. Once the type of piece, dimensions, preferred colors and motifs, price and estimated completion time (usually 6-8 weeks) are worked out and agreed to, I ask for a deposit of 1/2 the total, the balance due on completion (I email a photo of the finished piece). Pieces can be shipped out from the studio or picked up.

Please email me with any questions!

Thanks,
LS