Artist Bio
Born and raised in the island nation of Barbados, I came to the U.S. in 1976 on a track and field athletic scholarship. I studied Physics and Civil Engineering at Fisk and Vanderbilt universities respectively under the Dual-Degree Program, receiving a BS in Physics (1980) at Fisk and a BE in Civil Engineering (1981) at Vanderbilt. During this time, I was a two-time, NCAA Division III All American in track and field (Decathlon and Long Jump).
I became a U.S. resident in 1981 and a citizen in 1986. After college I worked in the nuclear power industry for 13 years as a structural design engineer before moving into construction project management for the next 19. I also was an adjunct instructor at St. Petersburg College, Florida for three years where I taught AutoCAD and Engineering Graphics.
I have been a wood artist for more than 30 years. My affinity for wood began at a very young age. My father, a carpenter and shipwright (boat builder) taught me that working with wood was very addictive. As I mimicked every move, cut and style of woodworking he performed with a variety of finely tuned hand tools, I became hooked. I developed good skills in the process, and the rest, as they say, is history. Over the years, I have honed those skills at various AAW symposiums as both demonstrator and learner. I also have conducted demonstrations at many local and national woodturning chapter events, and for a few years taught classes at the John C. Campbell Folk School of Art in Asheville, North Carolina.
My earlier works explored the seemingly infinite variety of shapes and forms that allowed the natural beauty of the wood to be reflected aesthetically in the vessels I created. In the late 1980s, I started creating wood-turned art on the lathe, because I discovered it allowed me to create pieces that showed a connection between my inner passion and my world view, by exploring and embracing all aspects of woodturning without limiting the expressiveness of the work itself.
Currently, I am devoted to art shows full time, having retired in 2014, and have won numerous awards over the years, including several Best in Show. My work is displayed in private collections, museums and galleries, most notably Polk County Museum of Art, Florida; Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, FL; Mount Dora City Hall, FL; Full Sail University, FL; Illinois City Hall, IL; City of Belleville, IL; Water Street Gallery, MI; Craft Art Gallery, FL, and the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts and Culture, NC.
I reside with my wife Jannis in beautiful, historic Safety Harbor, FL where my garage is both studio and sanctuary for all things wood.