elcome to MOUNTAIN SUN WORKSHOP, located in the upper Catskill Mountains of Greene County, New York. We are makers of fine custom furniture, cabinets, and architectural woodwork, working primarily, but not exclusively, in native hardwoods and veneers. Our work is mostly residential and can be found in homes in upstate New York, and the Greenwich-Stamford-New Canaan, Connecticut area. Please explore our web site, and contact us if we may be of service.
Growing up, I always enjoyed working with my hands, making objects that gave form to my imaginings. Shaping wood, metal, clay, cardboard, or whatever came to hand satisfied a fundamental desire to make real the images in my minds eye. Over the years, after several false starts, I found in woodworking the means to combine that creative impulse with the opportunity to earn a livelihood. Since 1974, when my wife Cyndi and I established MOUNTAIN SUN WORKSHOP, I have been engaged in a process of learning and creation that will last the rest of my life. Through that process I hope to bring pleasure to others through the things I create for and with them.
As a self-taught woodworker, learning from the past has been an important part of the development of my skills both as a craftsman and a designer. The opportunity to do repairs and restoration on many fine antiques, as well as more ordinary, and in some cases modern, pieces, is always a chance to learn not only what and how things were done, but sometimes how they should not be done. I like to think that the skills I possess combine the best of the lessons of the past within the capabilities and efficiencies of the modern era, such that craftsmanship does not suffer in the interest of expediency.
My evolution as a designer and maker of fine woodwork has been influenced by an eclectic sensibility. I have drawn inspiration from: the refinement of line, proportion, and form characterized by the best of the 18th and early 19th century English and American furniture makers; the functional yet elegant simplicity of Shaker work; the integrity of workmanship and truth to materials in Japanese temples; the desire for honesty in form, function, materials, and craftsmanship in the Arts and Crafts movement; and the attention to the inherent beauty of wood as expressed in the work of such craftsmen as James Krenov and George Nakashima.
Working primarily with native Northeastern hard- and soft-woods, as well as imported woods when appropriate, I create furniture, cabinets, and architectural woodwork to meet the requirements and desires of our valued customers. As they are the ultimate users of what we make, the design process is often a collaborative relationship. In not being bound to any particular style or period, I have the freedom to explore forms and ideas and then create new work that satisfies the needs of the owners and harmonizes with the existing surroundings.
