Utilitarian objects are frequent points of departure for my work.  I am fascinated by the process of manipulating three-dimensional materials to transcend the objects' ordinary qualities, to emphasize aspects often overlooked, and to incorporate a sense of the absurd.  Wood, fabric, and glass beads are regularly featured in my work, due to their great structural and decorative potential.

-Leah Force

I have had an affinity for boats and the techniques used to build small wooden boats for quite some time.  The graceful lines of a well designed boat are as natural as any curve found in nature..  Achieving such a line is, for me, much more challenging than building sculpture with straight lines.

My focus is on making abstractions out of wood that will emphasize the organic lines of boat forms, but be their own unique shape - one that does not necessarily remind the viewer of a boat.  I am primarily using cedar due to its prevalence as a boat building material, as well as its ability to be bent by steam.

-Chuck Jobe