I was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and raised in the United States where I graduated from Dartmouth College, Class of 1967. Self- taught as an artist after immigration to Canada, I began carving wood in earnest in 1976 in the Cape Mabou Highlands of Cape Breton Island. Over the years, my sculptures have been exhibited in group and solo exhibitions in both public and private galleries winning several best in show awards. They are represented in public and private collections throughout North America.
My love affair with wood, black walnut and cherry in particular, dates back to my youth. Yellow birch, elm, and beech are native to the forest that surrounds our homestead. Old gnarly apple trees from pioneer days abound. Cape Breton and Vermont quarries have provided beautiful marble and dolomite. The work is all by hand, the primary tools a wide range of gouges, chisels, files and rifflers. All of my sculptures are created “in the round”, carved from unique blocks of wood and marble from which the final form gradually evolves.
Jazz Dance / riffler file