About Julie...

I went to the College of William & Mary as a premed student and graduated as a fine art major. I have worked for 12 years as a freelance medical editor. And artist.

Drawing is the great love of my life (Besides Bob and my kids.) I worked in colored pencil in college, which got me a few chuckles and a box of Crayola crayons as a Christmas gift ("Since I like to draw with toys").

Over the years, I've been thrilled to watch colored pencil grow as a respected medium, thanks in large part to the Colored Pencil Society of America. I work from home (Littleton, Colorado), so I can watch my girls grow up-and so I can keep
current on the happenings on Sesame Street!

About Bob...

In the summer of 1967, I saved enough money to buy my first guitar. It was a brand new, shiny, concert-size Stella Harmony, and cost me all of $17. By all lutherie standards, this was a cheap, worthless guitar. It was made of plywood with a minimum of lateral bracing front and back. Where a rosette and binding would normally be, black and white strips were hand-painted (and none too well). Not at all the type of instrument anyone really takes seriously. I didn't know, nor did I care. I loved playing that guitar! I learned a lot about playing and writing music on the Stella. It made me happy. It was my best and sometimes only friend. I could always count on it when things were not going well. Over many years, the finish wore off. The open tuners became rusty from long days at the beach. The frets on the bulky, non-adjustable neck became deeply grooved. The black and white stripes chipped and faded. Finally, the bridge split, and the guitar was no longer playable. Since then I have owned a number of instruments, all of which sound better and play easier than the old Stella.

Today, I build my guitars as best I can. For the maple models, I cut all wood parts (yes, front, back, and sides) myself from bulk lumber. I am always trying to improve my skills to produce instruments of full tonal color, beauty, and durability. But I have also learned that it is the heart and soul of the Musician that makes music. The guitar is only a tool to that end. As I look back on my days with the Stella, I find that those were some of the best times I can remember. I hope to build guitars that will some day mean as much to their owners as that old Stella meant to me.

And, yes... Bob loves Julie too!