Artist Statement

When I split a log open, wood is no longer an anonymous material but the living body of a tree, newly revealed. I feel the tension between reverence and consumption. My practice is rooted in the belief that traditional craft processes are a bridge to our ecological origins and a foundation for change. In an era when contemporary woodworking can sever us from a material’s origin, I reinterpret wood as living trees, challenging our time, defined by efficiency and detachment from the material stories that shape our environment.

Drawing from the legacy of greenwood chairmakers like Drew Langsner and Jennie Alexander, I honor processes and joinery that make use of the tree’s natural structure. My background as an artist informs an exploration of natural curves and gestures, creating forms that are both expressive and resolved. Each chair I make becomes a quiet negotiation between the forces of body and tree. Sometimes an arched leg reveals where a branch once grew, a moment of grief in the tree's raw expression. A thin, elongated frame embodies the irony of strength and tension in our relationship with nature. 

Generations of chairmakers have passed down resourcefulness, care, and deep material knowledge. Teaching these traditional processes to adults and children, I witness a visceral recognition that a direct connection is restored when hands work with material. With support from North House Folk School, I continue to deepen my commitment to craft accessibility, using my work to foster dialogue across communities and ecologies.