Supreme Court of Ohio Judicial Bench 

In the summer of 2002 I was asked to design and carve the exterior of The Supreme Court of Ohio Judicial Bench, located in Columbus, Ohio. My design work lasted through the fall of that year and into 2003. Ten months were then spent with mallet and gouge creating the carvings. 

The project involved designing a 51 foot by 7 inch frieze that wraps around the entire length of the Bench. I designed 12 symbols that represent the history of Ohio Law along with a center medallion. The front of the bench is curved along its length, then angles towards the sides of the room and then parallel along the sides of the bench. A running pattern repeats every few inches and is only separated by the 12 symbols on the Bench’s front and the center medallion.

The project also called for a repeating egg and dart molding, triangular base molding and 11 floral medallions along the front of the Bench.

All the work is done in black walnut to match the existing woodwork in the room. The Bench project was part of a complete renovation of the 11-story building which houses the Supreme Court and opened to the public in April 2004.

Apple wood and maple with yew, Bolivian rosewood, maple, walnut, kwila, ebony, holly, alder

13" x 8" x 2.5"  1993

The Autumn Wren Jewelry Box was made from a small piece of apple wood.  The marquetry image has a background of soft maple.  The interior has two removable trays with storage below and curved dividers. The finish is shellac and wax.

Wenge and red gum, with pink ivory wood, jarrah, ebony, sycamore, European hornbeam 

22” x 10” x 2.5”  1999

The wenge and red gum box has hand-cut dovetail joinery and hand-sawn veneer top panel. The red gum’s dramatic grain pattern creates a sense of movement behind the marquetry flamingos. 

The interior has removable dividers to showcase and store writing instruments and paper.

The marquetry on the lid uses natural wood colors and careful shading done with hot sand to create the illusion of depth.  The hinges are made from solid brass and the finish is shellac and beeswax. 

Bubinga and apple with ironwood, brass hinges 

7" x 5" x 2"  1992

The Bubinga Jewelry Box is made of bubinga, a rich colored hardwood from Africa.  Apple wood used in the top and bottom panels accent the bubinga. The finish is shellac and wax.

Spalted walnut with dyed holly, purple heart, satinwood and abalone

13” x 8” x 3”  1999

A spalted surprise discovered inside a piece of walnut firewood. The unusual pattern provided a wonderful background for marquetry of a luna moth. Experimenting with pigments, the holly was dyed to achieve the pale green color and abalone was inlaid to create the “eyes” in the wings.

A dovetailed box with a sliding tray inside. The finish is shellac and wax.