In the early 1980s, while living in New Orleans, I took a decoy carving class with local artist Al Muller and was immediately hooked. Around the same time, we had purchased an old house, so I began building furniture from salvaged shipping crates.

I once read that sign makers were the only woodcarvers who made a living, so when we returned to my hometown of Wilmington, I gave it a try. My first sign was for my father, a pharmacist. Without computer layout tools, it was a fast education in lettering and design. He was never quite satisfied that I left out his middle initial, but the curve of the lettering simply didn’t allow for it.

Wanting to improve, I took a sign and gold leaf class with Paul White in Cape Cod. After that, the sign business grew steadily. While I worked full-time handling aspects of audiovisual engineering at QVC, my wife Bridget ran the business for many years with Peggy Watkins. Both are talented artists who helped elevate the quality and scope of our work. Many of our signs can still be found throughout the region.

Passion projects have included a 17.5-foot kayak built from paulownia, red and white cedar, and mahogany; a totem pole featuring animals native to Bowers Beach; and small, netsuke-style carvings.