About

I dwell on 9 acres in the Cascade foothills of Oregon. I visit our small lake, scrutinizing it for the migrating ducks that over winter here. This little lake is a quiet place. A place of contemplation - a place where my muses can join with me and energize my creativity. Here I come and discuss my gates with them. We talk about how to join to pieces so that subtle energy, flowing in the wood, circulates freely.

I live on a landscape that I share with the great cedars and firs of the Pacific Northwest. In trees the deep energies of the earth flow up through the roots and are delivered to the heavens. It is both a solemn and joyful task that these trees undertake. I thank them for providing me with the wood of their bodies to make my portals.

My portals are made from wood. I have always loved working with wood. Each piece is distinct. Each piece has history written in its rings. Year after year of rain, sun, heat, and cold - of lean and fat years. Wood remains a living substance long after it is taken from its tree self. It changes with the seasons, it welcomes the kingdoms of life to make a home in it - sometimes much to human dismay.

I fashion the outdoor ones from Western Red Cedar. Its rich reddish brown tones are not so inviting to life forms that consume it. I work too with metal. I like the malleability of copper. It is easily encouraged to take a variety of forms. An alloy of copper, brass shines a bright gold. Zinc makes it stronger. I use it to join the wood pieces together. These metals bear up well outdoors. Wood, brass, and copper get along well with one another. They accept each others presence without harming the other.

As I’ve built portals, I’ve passed through them to new places - magical places. Places where muses whisper their wisdom. So I wish that you may find a portal that enriches your life and bears you to your magical place.