“Once, at an exhibit, a man asked me,  ‘What kind of people buy this furniture?!’ Without hesitating, I replied, ‘Happy people!’

 I’ve never found a better way to think of it.

What might inspire me matters far less than what my furniture might inspire in you.  It’s still a joy to watch the faces of people as they look thoughtfully, begin to smile, then turn to me asking ‘did you do this?’  Sometimes I have the same reaction.”

I design, create, and hand paint one-of-a-kind and limited edition decorative art furniture, using vintage/found/new pieces. This includes preserving ‘grandmother’s favorite table' as well as transforming a new piece of furniture into a keepsake.  I welcome custom projects using my pieces or yours.

I begin the process with the discovery of ‘raw materials’ - unique antiques, discarded furniture and parts, architectural elements, or choice new pieces.  Each piece is carefully restored or repurposed using both old and new parts.  Neutral basecoating readies the piece for it’s decorative painting which I design in-process, combining colors, shapes and textures.  I complete the process with four or more coats of clear sealer. 

I’m interested in the challenge of actively combining opposites to reveal their commonality:  mixing method with madness; balancing opposing colors, shapes, textures, and fabrics; turning old into new, useless into functional, traditional into modern, ordinary into extraordinary.   Personally, this means maintaining quality craftsmanship without taking myself too seriously.

I have a BA in Sociology and Spanish from the University of Tennessee.  My business career of 23 years involved creating and operating three stationery stores, Pen and Paper Inc, in Bowling Green, KY, Memphis, and Nashville.  In 2000, I sold the last of the three stores to move to Tennessee and paint furniture full time.  My painting and design training come from painting walls in my homes and stores, a love of color, and lots of trial-and-error.  I watched my father restore many pieces of furniture; I've just taken his skills to another level.

A workshop in ‘Rocky Top,’ my home on a 12-acre wooded hilltop near Leiper’s Fork in Williamson County, Tennessee, allows me to create furniture in a beautiful natural setting filled with a multitude of birds, wild turkey, deer, and great friends.