Decades of craftsmanship & curiosity
I am so grateful and fortunate that I’ve been able to make things that people use in their everyday lives for over 50 years.
My father was a wood carver, my uncles were mill owners and woodworkers, my cousins are woodworkers. Wood has always spoken to me and I see the beauty and character in each piece I hold.
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Roach Clips
I started making making roachclips in 1973 with beads and box staple wire. When I made my first clip, I knew I could go anywhere and sell them and never worry about money or places to stay. My first roadtrip took me to Denver — 6 months to get there and return to Nashville. Next roadtrip took us as far as San Francisco. I continued making clips for another few years, and made them on occasion until 2022, when I returned to the craft. I never liked the commercial beads I used until one day in the early summer of 2022 I said to myself, how hard could it be to make my own beads for roachclips? It’s not hard, it just takes a little time to make each bead. With this new process, my roachclips became a more creative endeavor, allowing me to explore and craft with exotic woods and cannabis stalk. There really is nothing else out there like them.
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Pipes
My first antler pipes were made in the early 70’s and were some of my favorites. They sparked an idea and I never stopped.
In 2010, I ventured into disposable pipes. They were not sanded and did not have a finish; I made a few hundred and gave to friends. Five years later, I started sanding and putting a finish on them.
Big changes came with these pipes, defining the shapes and sizes but yet something was still missing… I made a few hundred of these before I started making the two-piece pipes.
The two-piece pipes were it. They opened up a whole new world of creativity and exploration for me. Next came the three piece pipes with a center band. And then a new beginning for my wood pens using spacer materials, such as silver, acrylic, antler and more.
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