I hear their varied calls and hammering beaks, see flashes of black and white underwing - their shock of red crest through the trees. The pileated woodpecker, namesake of Red Crest Woodworking, is a reminder of hard work, loyalty, determination. They keep me company each day out in the woods and bring a smile to my face each time I hear or see them.

I grew up outdoors or, whenever inside, found myself staring out windows, longing to be on the other side. I’ve worked with my hands for as long as I have memory; enjoying problem-solving, fixing or creating from raw materials. The progression toward working with wood was natural, beyond the obvious, organic medium. I’ve needed furniture, shelter, embellishments throughout life, so rather than trash, I fix, rather than buy, I build.

I find myself surrounded at all times by trees (and woodpeckers). I enjoy nothing more than to take a dead or dying tree and make something beautiful from what would have otherwise gone to rot, fireplace or landfill. For most of my pieces, I know the exact place the tree stood, how it was felled, milled, stacked and ultimately, how it came to be in its new role. I can look at my work and connect with how it grew. It’s rare indeed that I can pass this knowledge to my clients.