I was imprinted with a love of nature from growing up in Virginia, with its creeks, woods, hills and giant trees. Carving was a pastime of the old timers there. As a kid I picked it up with enthusiasm. I clearly remember carving since the fourth grade. In college I took a BA in philosophy, close to another in anthropology, with a minor in psychology. Practically, I worked on tug boats, had a stint in the U.S. Army and almost thirty years in Santa Barbara County as a land use planner. I love to sit down with a complicated tree root and wonder what wonderful figures it has in it. The experience of working with roots as "partners" in sculpting is fulfilling. Since starting in wood carving I have branched to stone, metal and plastic. There is no end to the fascination and pleasure of sculpting.