About Me

I’m a painter, woodworker and easel maker. I was born in 1973 in Wisconsin. These days, I live in Floyd, Virginia with my wife Cindy, and our eleven year old son, Lucas. I feel very fortunate to have a home, art studio and woodworking shop hidden away in our own private corner of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.

On Painting

I knew that I wanted to be a painter by the age of six. Throughout my childhood, I was consumed with drawing and painting. In my teens, I poured over every book on art that I could get my hands on. I sought Fine Arts degree at Ferrum College. I always presumed that eventually, I was to be a professional painter. During my twenties however, I tried to establish myself in other, more, “practical” careers. In the decade that followed, I’d become an alcoholic, then struggled back to sobriety. In my thirties, I destroyed most of my completed artworks. I spent many years where did not paint at all. As I type this I am 50 years old. I paint here and there as time, work and family responsibilities allow. 

On Building Wall Easels

While woodworking has long been an interest of mine, the easel business is something of a happy accident. After sharing some photos of the easel that I built for myself, artists began asking to purchase easels for their studios. Reluctantly, I built a few. They sold quickly and the artists who bought them were pleased. Thinking ahead, I made a large batch that I imagined would sell over the course of a year or so. Instead, they sold out within weeks! To better meet demand, I’ve recently built a much larger, dedicated woodworking shop. All the while, I have continued to refine the easel design based on customer feedback and testing. It’s a good feeling to know that painters are creating their artworks on an easel that I designed and built.