Chris Andrew, For nearly 25 years I made my living in the high-tech world of Information Technology until being laid off in 2001. Faced with poor job prospects and a faltering economy I turned to my woodturning hobby as a source of income. Focusing on wood from trees native to the Pacific Northwest, I produce functional and artistic objects that I sell through gift shops and galleries in western Oregon. Trees dominate the landscape I grew up in. The magnificent bigleaf maples providing cool shade in the Willamette Valley, the dense Douglas fir forests of the coast range, the majestic redwoods of the northern California coast, the scented myrtlewood groves and twisted madrones of the southern Oregon coast...all these trees inspire me. Beautiful in their living form, these trees also provide lasting beauty in their wood. Each piece of wood is unique, telling the story of the tree from which it came. It may take years before I decide what form a piece of wood will take. The wood speaks to me through size, shape, color, texture, density, grain patterns, and even smell. I strive to produce pieces that people want to use, to hold, and simply, to admire. Recently I have incorporated kiln-formed glass into my wood pieces. Kiln-formed glass is a general term used to describe glass that has been fused and shaped in a heated kiln. My glass pieces are made from selected pieces of fusible art glass that are cut to shape, layered, and fused together in a kiln at a temperature of 1480 degrees Fahrenheit. A second firing to a temperature of 1250 degrees makes the glass drop (slump) into a specially prepared bowl-shaped mold. The bright colors and glossy shine of the kiln-formed glass provide a perfect compliment to the natural warmth of the wood.