Michael has always found an amazing beauty in nature, especially right here in the heart of the Blue Ridge. This is where most of his inspiration comes from. With his cutting boards, in particular, Michael designs and arranges the grain of every species of wood so the viewer can see the real beauty and uniqueness of each piece. The amazing colors and patterns of the grain combined with a contrasting color of another species of wood reminds him of the contrasting colors that he sees in nature, as he and his wife Talina and with their son, Quinn, and Michael’s three “adventuresome” stepsons, Seth, Aaron, and Jacob explore these incredible mountains! Each piece of wood that Michael uses is unique and different….Amazingly different. Through his cutting boards, Michael wants to share with other people the beauty that he sees, in just one very small piece of these glorious Appalachian Mountains. Michael has formal education in the arts with a BFA in Ceramics and a BFA in Wood Design both from East Carolina University. He has recently took a leap of faith, resigning from his job making custom furniture for someone else, and opening his own studio where he plans to do woodwork and pottery. Michael and his wife Talina are beginning their journey of living their art! ripperarts.etsy.com
