As always ... Made in America!

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 resin, and sold at a fraction of what we would charge for an original carving.  When it first happened it was jarring and upsetting, but we learned to accept it and come to terms with it.  We adjusted, changed what we produced and how we did it, and grew as the times changed.

Now we're in uncertain times. There's non-stop talk about tariffs and imports, and without going into right or wrong of any particular action on global trade, Tricia and I feel somewhat vindicated in keeping our work 100% made in America.  Please don't view this as any sort of political endorsement, but we've always felt that keeping American Art produced locally, from locally sourced materials was the right thing for us to do.  We buy our lumber from family owned, local businesses here in Virginia and in North Carolina. We buy our owl and decoy eyes from a family of glassblowers in CT.  Just about everything that goes into our artwork is sourced here in the USA.

Too much of what's produced now is temporary and throw-away.  But we still create our pieces using tools and equipment that belonged to our parents and grandparents, and produced in much the same way as carvings and paintings were done hundreds of years ago.  Tricia and I know that using traditional tools and materials creates pieces that are more expensive than imports, but also create pieces that last, and stand up over time.  We've been creating long enough now to see commissioned artwork we've created be passed down a couple of generations, and it's humbling - and not just as a reminder of how old we are!

No matter what happens with the current trade crisis our work will always be 100% crafted by Tricia and I, and 100% made in the USA.