My mother used to say that the existence of God could be witnessed just by going outside and opening our eyes. Nature is a treasure-trove of delicate, balanced and refined design elements. What I hope to achieve in my carving is a focus on the beauty of nature's form that will reawaken our innate appreciation of life around us.

Materials and Techniques

American Cherry, a sustainable wood product, is chosen for its dimensional stability and tooling qualities. Lumber is selected for its straightness of grain, absence of knots and predominance of brownish-red heartwood. The lumber is then milled and set aside to stabilize before laminating into blocks that will later be turned on the lathe. Time to stabilize assures that the wood will be less subject to internal stress that can cause cracks and twists.

Note: Cherry can contain some gum pockets (small black crevices and holes) that are a naturally occurring feature. These are left unfilled and add value to the overall interest of the piece.

Wood for the shades is also pre-cut and stabilized before assembly. A typical shade is composed of over 48 individual pieces that are laminated, formed, joined and pegged into a delicate yet strong construction.

Once the base is turned on the lathe the relief carving begins based on my own designs. I strive for accuracy in the carving and basically use only hand tools taking on average a hundred plus hours to compete the subject.

Each lamp is finished in successive applications of polymerized linseed oil, lacquer, and bees wax resulting in a durable and protective coating.

The shade is papered in a special laminate that we prepare of washi paper under-layered with PVC bonded washi, all imported from Japan. The result is a rice paper shade material that retains its shape and stands up to humidity and heat.

Hardware is hand-soldered brass that is smooth sanded then polished before a final application of patina. Each lamp uses four 25 - 40 watt bulbs that suspend out beyond the sides of the base to illuminate the carving.