GRABER WOODWORKING

Dean has been a professional woodworker for 13 years, though was a hobbyist before that. As with many, what started as a hobby became too enjoyable to put down. He has worked in high- and low-end shops as well as some in-between. He was formally trained in one of the (last of it's kind) apprenticeship programs in cabinetmaking and millwork in Maryland.

Graber Woodworking began as a sole proprietorship in Maryland, but after a family move to Wisconsin the business reopened as Graber Woodworking L.L.C. Dean does participate in some shows; in recent years he has won ''Best New Artist'' and ''Best of Category'' awards at the Madison, Wisconsin ''Art Fair Off the Square.''

The business is run out of an office and workshop built in a 1920's barn Dean renovated. The original beam framework of the barn is intact and the old siding was recycled to the interior. The views of fields, woods and wildlife provide inspiration.