Art by Samuel McCormick- Recycleing the old way like our ancestors did.

Samuel P. McCormick is a local Roanoke, Virginia artist who has over 23 years in his field of working with natural materials. He first started his love of nature growing up as a child. By age 10 he was introduced to the world of crafting things from scratch by meeting an older gentleman who was a seasoned knife maker. He spent many years under his guidance learning not the art of making an item, but the skill of working with various animal parts and metal. He has had many other artists friends over the years, who several were Native American, that gave him influence and guidence in working with other mediums such as turquoise, opals and wood. In middle school and through highschool he took classes in woodworking, welding, sheet metal & metal machining. His design ideas are completely self taught. He spends countless hours collecting and processing his own material directly from nature, reusing that which most wouldn't consider to utilize. Example of mediums used legal roadkill or remains of animals he finds in the woods that have died of natural causes, natural dead standing trees and branches that fall of in storms and much more.  He also works closely with some local farmers, hunters, trappers and other gathers across North America by trading for or receiving donations of raw materials. He has a deep love of his work and each piece that he creates has a part of his heart and spirit in it which ensures the end product will be of the highest quality. Samuel combines old world hand tools dating back to or before the 1900's along with antique machinery from the mid 1940's to present to create his one of a kind art. Today, his work has now expanded to all across North America. 

Riley Jones has have a love of nature since a child. She has worked with many exotics animals through her work with zoos and animal parks. She is now on her 4th year working with Samuel McCormick in processing raw materials and turning them into one of a kind works of art.