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Since 1983, I've designed and made furniture
in my spare time, or whenever I've needed a new bookcase.
In 1996, I moved to Nelson,
British Columbia, a picturesque mountain town located halfway
between Vancouver and Calgary, Alberta. While living in Nelson,
I discovered that the local college, Selkirk College, offered
one of Canada's leading programs in fine furniture making. I
couldn't resist enrolling. The program is so popular it has to
maintain a waiting lists of applicants, but after a few years
my number was called.
In 2001, I graduated from Selkirk's Fine
Woodworking program and was accepted into their competitive Second
Year program of self-directed study.
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In my first year, I studied under Michael
Grace, one of Canada's top furniture makers. In my second, I
studied with Doug Zech, an accomplished studio furniture maker
with a fine arts background.
The program stressed traditional technique
starting with hand tools, joinery, and sharpening. It progressed
to instruction in power tools, jig making, laminating, veneering
and finishing. It also included courses in design, drafting and
furniture history.
During this same time period, Nelson was
blessed with a second furniture program, this one at the Kootenay
School of the Arts (sadly, this program has folded due to lack
of government funding). The KSA program focused on furniture
as a product of industrial design rather than craft (as the Selkirk
program did).
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While waiting for a spot in the Selkirk
program, I took a short course at KSA in Furniture Design Fundamentals
and had the opportunity to study briefly with Michael Fortune,
another of Canada's leading studio furniture makers.
Before deciding to make furniture, I worked
as a computer technician, computer programmer, web designer,
writer, editor, and bike courier.
If you would like to learn more about my
design philosophy and design influences, please visit the design section of this site.
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