Baltic by Design
Thomaston, ME
You never know when a good idea is going to strike. One day in 2010 when visiting my Mom I noticed her wind spinner hanging on the wood shed. I had an idea to design a bowl that had a similar look. When I started working on a prototype I figured that it would be multiple rings glued up and was cutting some of the smaller rings from inside the larger ones to save wood. Through a couple attempts I came up with a design that would be cut from one flat piece which was a very efficient use of wood.
The first prototypes were cut using a scroll saw and I knew if I was going to make a marketable product out of it I was going to have to come up with a faster way to cut them. I found a local business with a Laser cutting machine who could cut them for me. I now own three machines and my entire business is operated right out of my home.
I've always been artistic and wanting to find a way to make a living with my art. Early on I did a lot of drawing including photo-realistic colored pencil portraits. While I was trying to launch my art I did 6 years in the Navy learning a trade, advanced electronics. When I got out of the service I took a job in electronics which exposed me to machinery and quality tools which I was allowed to learn and experiment with, even using them for my own personal projects in off time and on the weekends.
The art I make now is a blend of all these experiences, like my phrase: engineering as an art.