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July 4th is one of my favorite Holidays - mainly because as a kid it was acceptable to play with explosives! Growing up as a military 'brat' overseas the 4th was always a big deal, and the fireworks shows were always incredible.  And as resourceful kids we typically found ways to 'acquire' our own fireworks, and set them off.  Happily none of these extra-curricular excursions into explosives resulted in any injuries, probably because we respected the power and unpredictability of thes … read more

Back when Tricia and I would exhibit at the big trade shows (NY, Philly, Atlanta, Denver, etc, etc) we would enjoy walking the show floor ahead of the show's opening.  That pastime turned into a game for us: which one of us could spot something we designed or carved for sale in another company's booth. It was odd if we *didn't* see something we'd created for sale with another producer; mainly off-shore outlets that specialized in imported items and decoratives made from cast plastics or re … read more

Just a quick note to say 'Thank You'Tricia and I never forget that we're fortunate to be able to make a living getting paid to be creative, and we never forget that without amazing customers we're not in business.This time last year we celebrated out first full year of running an ecommerce site, and while playing around with the features discovered that we could give our customers store credit.  After a brief discussion we decided to give everyone that had bought from us that first year a $ … read more

Waaaaay back in 1992, two young people were invited to show their work at a new art show in a unique place, for a special charity. Small Friends on Nantucket organized an art show (with the help of a professional show promoter) and hosted it (at the then new) Nantucket High School. Tricia and I made the 800 mile trip from our studio in Virginia Beach up to Nantucket and were instantly in love with the island, its history, and the people that visit it and those who call it home.For t … read more

Independence Day- Freedom, fireworks, cookouts and heading to the beach or lake; the 4th of July is the quintessential American Holiday.We celebrated early this year by making some Patriotically themed carvings.One of these is a classic we've done for years, and one is a new patriotic twist on an old favorite.John Haley Bellamy was a famous New England Folk Artist in the latter 19th and early 20th centuries.  He created some of the most recognizable folk art eagles in the genre, and as … read more