Part of my background comes from being raised by artistic parents in several highly creative societies around the world. Another part of this background includes a Master of Arts Degree in Sculpture and media and a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Integrated Electronic Arts which included performance, video, music, programming, animation, kiosks and other modern concepts of art and craft. After concentrating for several years on this type of work I needed to get back to hands on basics which included guitar making and pipe making along with teaching art at Georgetown University.

The pipes that I have chosen to duplicate are a very tiny and delicate miniature highland set made by J&R Glen of Edinburgh sometime in the late 1800's. This set is made of Gaboon Ebony and Ivory with the most delicate and beautiful mounts and decorations. In the late 1990's I began to practice the technique of Beading and Combing using some of my grandfathers tools and found that I had all of these small pieces of expensive wood(s) that needed to have more of a purpose and the pens came about. For the most part, aside from a few gifts to friends and family, I made these for my own use and brought them along to Rathkeltair performances at various highland games up and down the East Coast... they started to find new homes!

Below is a visit to Edinburgh, Scotland's Royal Mile where I had once been to the J&R Glen Bagpipe shop. My father attempted to buy a set of pipes for my mom, but the proprietor said no! He would sell her a practice chanter this year, a practice set (goose?) the next year and possibly a full set 3 years afterwards if she played well enough! Today the site is a wool retail shop wedged between tourist stores.