Born and raised in Barbados, I came to the U.S. on a track and field athletic scholarship in 1976. I studied Physics and Civil Engineering at Fisk and Vanderbilt universities respectively under the Dual-Degree Program. I received the BS in Physics (1980) from Fisk and the BE in Civil Engineering (1981) from 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 as a structural design engineer for 13 years before moving into construction project management for the next 19. I also taught AutoCAD and Engineering Graphics as an adjunct instructor at St. Petersburg College, Florida for three years.
My affinity for wood began at a very young age, when I would watch my father, a carpenter and boat builder, as he worked, using only hand tools. He taught me that working with wood was very addictive, and it wasn’t before I was hooked. I developed good skills in the craft, and it was those skills that I utilized many years later to create my wood art. In addition to what I learned from my father, I acquired specific woodturning skills participating in various American Association of Woodturners’ (AAW) symposiums as both demonstrator and learner. I also demonstrated at national woodturning chapter meetings, and taught classes in the craft for a few years at the John C. Campbell Folk School of Art in Asheville, North Carolina.
About my work
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 created. My desire has always been to create vessels that showed a connection between my creative thought processes and my chosen medium. This I achieve by embracing and incorporating all aspects of this medium, so as not to limit the expressiveness of the work itself.
I work with native American woods –mainly burls– and some international exotics. However, woods from the maple species are my favorites with which to work. Also, selection is key in the woods I use, since not all wood types are suitable for turning. All vessels are one-of-a-kind originals and carry nominal wall thicknesses ranging from 3/16 to 5/16 of an inch depending on the size of the vessel and type of wood. Each vessel sits on a contrasting base, and has a removable cover with shaped finial attached. The surface of each vessel is protected by several coats of a sprayed-on, high quality, clear lacquer that helps to protect and enhance the naturalness of the wood.
Currently I am devoted to art shows full time, having retired in 2014. Over the years I have won numerous awards including several Best in Show. My work is displayed in private collections, museums and galleries, most notably: Polk County Museum of Art, FL; Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, FL; Mount Dora City Hall, FL; Full Sail University, FL; Illinois City Hall, City of Belleville, IL; Florida Craft Art Gallery; the Crealdѐ School of Art, FL; the Hannibal Heritage Square Center, FL; the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts and Culture, Charlotte, NC; and the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Art Museum, DC (this was a donation of my work from the Jeffrey Bernstein and Judith Chernoff Collection).
