I carve the designs as a means to connect with my
cultural background and to express my relationship to family and the
environment.
I
draw inspiration from the history of my people and the world surrounding us.
From these sources I try to blend traditional forms with the worldview that I
have developed in the last 10 years of traveling. During this period the ocean
has been one of the defining factors of my life. It is a huge inspiration for my
designs and for myself. From my love of surfing to the calm that it brings in
times of stress, it has been one of the major forces in my life. One of the
areas that I love with carving is the ability to express the physical and
spiritual nature of our lives. This duality is represented by the shape of the
design and the spaces carved within. One of the challenges I love is bringing
these elements together in a design.
