As a young man, the call of inexpensive land, adventure, and a pioneering spirit, lured him to Nova Scotia where he built his first studio. Nova Scotia was rich in natural beauty, but suffered from a depressed economy where fine art was not in demand. Al's creative talents were put to the test, but by expanding his already broad range of skills he was able to masterfully provide what was needed to make a living. He made handcrafted jewelry, awe-inspiring railings, benches, sign-brackets, heritage reproductions for museums, sculptures and hand-carved plaques for the maritime province's and the federal government. Each piece exemplifies his passion for quality craftsmanship that all too often seems to be a thing of the past. 

Weary of the long winters and the difficulty in marketing fine art works in Nova Scotia, Al began to consider other locations for his studio. His decision was greatly influenced by the rapidly failing health of his mother, a painter, who was living in Charleston. The doctors sent her home on an IV with no expectation for recovery. Al refused to accept their prognosis. After studying and rethinking his mother's health problem, he designed and built a machine that was an innovative approach to treat the disease that paralyzed her digestive system. His art work had to go on hold for three years while he cared for her, but because of his intervention she enjoyed several more years of independent living, and painting, before her heart finally gave out. Sadly, she died in the spring of 2004. 

We have recently moved our residence to Asheville, where we are setting up a small studio. We are also maintaining our Charleston foundry until we can relocate it in the Asheville area. Our decision to move came easily when we realized that the two dimensional environment of the Low Country was not in keeping with who we are. We both grew up in mountains and it's in the three dimensional beauty of the mountains that we feel most at home and most inspired to pursue our passion for art and quality workmanship.