Bio
Apart from building skate ramps as a kid, I began woodworking while attending Otis College of Art and Design in the late 90's, but I didn't learn in class. I worked in a small LA furniture shop to pay my room rent. I soon worked my way up from a 'sander' to shop supervisor.
Custom Castle Bed made for a friend in 2001
After college, I started doing custom woodwork on my own, taking nearly every commission that came my way. I built beds, bookcases, cabinets, armoires, signs and even did large painted murals. These early experiences provided me with a wide artistic arsenal that still benefits my work to this day.
Walnut Entertainment Center commissioned in 2003
Monkwood started in a small 2 car garage workshop in 2011 after I had recently returned from working as a pastor in London, England for 7 years. My wife Pamela and our 3 small children were adjusting to life back in the states with the great recession in full swing. Very few companies were hiring ex-pastors for jobs that could support a growing family. So I just started building again...
First out of state tables shipped in spring 2012
I soon acquired some used tools and began making furniture that nobody even asked for. I also made some cool honey do's, designed by my wife Pamela, that became the first items in our newly opened online Etsy shop. We shipped our first out of state tables to the east coast in early 2012 and never looked back.
Surrealist Skate Ramp made for Think Tank Gallery in 2012
Monkwood is now based in the Magoski Arts Colony in Downtown Fullerton CA, (near Disneyland). I am now training new apprentices to help keep orders on track. I look forward to the future with excitement and can't wait to meet all of my new clients and collaborators. There are many great designs yet to discover with this amazing material we call wood.
With Gratitude,
The Monkwood Familia
Family Christmas Tree I made from reclaimed shipping pallets
*The name Monk actually came from my BMX days when my friends said I looked like a 'flying monkey' on the dirt jumps.