My path to art and craft has been through home design and construction where I was blessed with the opportunity to build small custom homes for many of the most important people in my life on our family property outside Austin, Texas. My design aesthetic was developed through the necessity of building space efficient, cost-effective homes for people that I knew very well and cared about deeply. Populating these finished homes with bespoke practical furnishings has been one of the most satisfying professional experiences of my life and understanding my client's needs, priorities and lifestyle has been central to my function as a home designer.
Where I come from
I love my family land; it is as much a part of me as the memories of time spent with my loved ones, some no longer with us. The land is in my thoughts as much as the old homes I grew up in, some of which have been torn down and rebuilt by my own hands. The family land is present in all my most important childhood memories and as years went by, some of the old-growth mesquite and oak trees where we built childhood forts and tree houses died off. The processes of aging, decay and the desire for preservation became incorporated into my way of thinking about my life and this land.
Where I am going
I wanted deeply to honor the magnificence of these trees, and so I began to imagine ways to give these marvelous and significant trees a second life. I devoted years of study to acquiring new skills and techniques in order to make this dream a reality for me. My hope is that Carver Craftworks can be both a showroom and a vehicle for me to translate my craft into an art form. Working with the same trees I had played in as a child filled me with a sense of reverence for their beauty and their potential to transform after death into something transcendent.
All we have is the journey
There are 3 pathways to knowledge; Contemplation, Imitation and finally Experience, which is the most difficult path and why I believe our elders should be revered and respected. I have had so many guides on this journey; teachers, mentors, family and even adversaries. Along the way my conceptions, knowledge and abilities are continuously evolving, and I hope that this progression is expressed in my pieces and my life.
Walk with me
I hope that you will join me and perhaps even lend your support to my journey. Please subscribe from the bottom of our Home Page to have the most recent steps in my artistic evolution delivered to your in-box, my newest projects and pieces will be featured once each month. Coming up is the Heritage Craft Project and our new product line includes some exciting innovations for the Holidays! Leave a comment below to share your thoughts with me, I look forward to hearing from you and wish you the best on your own path.
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