“We have learned that beneath the surface of an ordinary everyday normal casual conscious existence there lies a vast dynamic world of impulse and dream, a hinterland of energy which has an independent existence of its own and laws of its own: laws which motivate all our thoughts and our actions.”

Robert Edmund Jones

I’m a storyteller and craftsperson. I’ve always had a penchant for things that were made by hand or had to be done in person. The items in my life that show the makers-mark or carry their history written in the scratches and dents from use are my most cherished. My imagination goes to all the uses that came before me. Not only the history of a thing, but the lived experience of how using it affected the person. This is the storyteller in me. I think about all the days my grandfather wound the pocket watch I keep on the sill in my bedroom. The weight of it in his hand. The feel of the dial between his forefinger and thumb. The cold of the metal in the morning or the warmth it held from being close to his body all day. What did he see just before he pulled it from his vest to check the time? What conversations did he have as it ticked away stalwartly in his pocket?

When I make a toy or stool I intend for it to have a long rich life of use. I certainly strive for it to be beautiful. For the lines to be neat and the joins to be true. But most of all I want the thing to be lived with and used. Whether I’m working on a piece in my wood shop or shaping a piece in the theatre, I’m trying to create an experience for someone to interact with. A moment in time where we can dip past the veneer of normal everyday reality into a more inhabited and creative space. Seeing a puppet brought to life or noticing how a handmade piece of furniture changes the composition of a room is perhaps out of the ordinary. This is precisely what I strive to create; experiences from handcrafted items and stories that move us beyond the ordinary and into moments of meaning.