The flowers are links to the pages inside.  Hold the cursor over one to read the title.  Non-animated links are also at the bottom of the page.

When Brian and Michele met in early 1993, Brian was working for Northwest Airlines as a Buyer and Michele was working for Berlitz as an ESL instructor.  “You just couldn’t ignore how well we complimented each other,” says Brian.  “We were introduced to each other because of a common interest in Japanese.  I was taking a class out of interest and Michele had recently lived and worked in Tokyo.  From that introduction, we spent the entire evening talking and marveling how many other interests we had in common.”

After dating for only 3 months, the couple fully realized the synergy they had and together started Windhover Creative Design.   “There has always been a creative strength that I’ve purposely subordinated because I didn’t know how to apply it.  When I met Michele’s family for the first time, I learned about art shows.  I couldn’t believe it.  This was a world where you were able to create whatever you wanted and present it to an appreciative public.  It was fantastic!  We started our business the minute we got home.”  Seven months later, Brian and Michele married. 

In the beginning, Brian learned how to carve wooden flowers from Michele’s Dad and Michele arranged them in creative dried floral arrangements.   After a couple of years, Michele and Brian started looking for a new idea, something they could call their own. That was when the vision of Windhover Design’s wood and copper sculptures was born. 

Brian explains, “I liked metal sculptures, but they were very common and in quite a few instances, too ‘cold’ for many decors.  Instead, I thought that I could take the best qualities of wood and copper and combine them into something no one else had.  By using steam to bend the wood, we overcame some of the limitations that wood presented.  And, by marrying the wood and copper, we created an item that was flexible, strong, and much warmer in both color and texture.  Plus, it was absolutely unique.”

Over the years Brian and Michele have refined their designs and have added new items.  One of the most popular is their Tree of Life, which was awarded a U.S. Design Patent in 2003.  “The thought I’ve treasured the most is that Michele and I did this together,” says Brian.  “We’ve experienced everything hand-in-hand.  I married my best friend and we get to spend every day together.”

In addition to their designs, Michele and Brian have added a few additional “creations”, their two sons, Nate and Ian.  In 2003, they built a new house and custom studio in Osceola, Wisconsin.

Windhover’s work can be found in many of the better galleries and gift shops throughout the country and their work continues to receive accolades from very satisfied customers. 

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Last modified: June 28, 2005