In 2019, I built this simple “stone lookout" out back of our rental home in Tucson, Arizona. I worked on this very slowly for about 5 months. I collected nearly 200 rocks down in the desert wash, carried them up the small hill and made piles. On weekends, I worked them as little as possible and set 1 to 5 stones at a time. There are about 150 stones set in this rough-built feature. “Stone Lookout" is more about function than form for me.

Why the function? Recently, we watched the Israeli series “Fauda” and in one scene the main character, Doron, is sitting and drinking coffee from a small glass and it reminded me of a vivid memory I have of squatting around a fire and drinking tea in a Bedouin camp in Southern Israel when I was 24 years-old. After I left the Marines, I was accepted in a one-year program at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. I've always been a curious person about humans and different cultures and my goal that year was to explore as much of the land as possible.

in late 1993, I planned a day trip to the Jabaliyah refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. I found a Bedouin taxi driver in Jerusalem who agreed to drive me there. On the way there he asked me if it was okay if we stopped to see his family and have tea.

Upon arrival, I greeted his wife who was squatting by a fire cooking something. A few others walked over and everyone just dropped down into the squat position. Soon a hot, brown tea was poured into small glasses with a bit of sugar. I remember feeling how incredible it was to experience what was for them a normal, ritualistic part of their daily life: Taking a break, squatting and drinking hot tea from small glasses.

So, I decided that “Stone Lookout” would be a space to squat and drink hot tea or coffee as often as possible for me and my wife.

I was part of a workshop - Stonefest - in 2008 outside of Seattle, Washington where we built this 40’ long drystone bridge from Wisconsin limestone and Tenino sandstone.

I set this 11' basalt column and a blacksmith forged the horizontal and vertical steel arms for the purpose of re-growing the Wysteria back up and around the column and out on the arms.

I designed and built this with Pine logs harvested around Mancos, Colorado.

​This is a drystone arch and columns.  The big vertical stone acts also as the "springer stone" and you can see the dark "springer" on the right column.  I built this with 4 other Seattle-area masons for a home show.

I designed and built this studio in downtown Tucson. The wood wall feature is made from thermo-treated Ashwood from Indiana.

I got this untreated, natural 10 oz. canvas from my friend and canvas designer/sewer Josh in Colorado. Hung these ceiling “panels” to hide some of the rafters and soften up the area.

I designed this suspended "conceptual tipi” and Josh from Wrought Canvas in Colorado sewed it for me.