STEVEN MONROE MARTIN

 has never been able to get out of the woods.  Whether it was spending summers growing up on his grandfather's southern Illinois farm or studying bryology and ethnobotany at Eastern Illinois University, the woods have always brought out the best in him.

 After earning a B.S. and M.S. in Botany he chose to follow his heart back to his grandfather's farm and pursue his art.  Since 1977 he has developed a bandsaw  box technique to create his own style of sculptural yet functional boxes.

His band saw box technique begins with a solid cross-section of a log which is cut, shaped, and joined to form a container.  He begins his boxes by collecting logs of native red cedar, sassafras, cherry, hackberry, and black walnut.  A cross-section of the log is cut with the band saw into a freeform and abstract shaped box with one or more functional compartments.  Each piece has a solid back and may have a special mechanism for opening the box's drawers.

His background in botany has influenced the design of his work. Many of the abstract shapes he designs are reminiscent of the plant cell organelles he once studied.

 Steven has participated in many of the nation's best juried craft fairs and art exhibitions and has been recognized with many awards of excellence and merit awards.  He is a charter member of the Illinois Artisans Program and has served on the board of directors of the Illinois Ozarks Craft Guild for 15 years (President 1991-1994).