At this point I have been making these Acrylic butterfly cases for almost 20 years.  It sure doesn't seem to have been that long.  The one most common question I am asked about the butterflies and cases is "what made you decide to do this for a hobby / living?"

Well the answer is, simple: I kind of just stumbled on it.  Some say it was destined, I would strongly disagree!  Sometimes you are just in the right place, at the right time.

In 1991, I graduated high school and with no hope of ever attending college, I started working at the local grocery store (Sureway). The grocery store was a very busy place (no kidding) where I enjoyed meeting many new people.  One day, during the Christmas holidays, a complete stranger walked up and handed me a holiday card.  That stranger would later become my very first girlfriend. Her father is Alfred "Bill" Parke, the man who initiated me into the world of butterflies.  One day he asked if I could help him make cases. I agreed, and soon, began learning more that I ever thought I would.

The process was long and tedious. The customers were wholesale clients and the production was slow. Three years or so after I started, I pursued other avenues. Then in 1998, I decided to try to make butterfly display cases for myself, and maybe, just maybe I could make a living at it.  From 1998 to 2002 I produced approximately 100 cases per year, not enough to make a living, but it was satisfying to be able to make and sell a product so few others could.  The entire process changed little to nothing (actually closer to nothing) over what Bill taught me. 

In 2001, I attempted to create the round cases you now see in our catalog.  That first year I only made about 15 cases and decided never to attempt them again. The round cases became so difficult to produce using the same methods I employed for the rectangular cases, that they were cost prohibitive. 2002 went by and I did not produce a single round case!

In 2003 I decided to make a large production run.  That year I made about 200 butterfly, moth and insect cases, most of which were between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I had forgotten the lessons learned in 2001 and attempted the round cases once again.  I made about 50 round butterfly cases and again vowed never to attempt them.

Then in the beginning of 2004, I re-evaluated the methods employed to make the round cases.  I determined that I needed to re-invent the process for the round butterfly cases. In fact, EVERY aspect of making butterfly, moth and insect display cases was evaluated and redesigned.  So I spent the next  8 months, tooling, designing, and building custom machinery and fixtures. During the last 3 months of 2004, I produced over 1200 round cases! The exact amount of total cases produced that year is unknown, but i estimate that number to be around 1500 or so.

In 2005, we were contacted by agents of an HGTV program called "Crafters Coast to Coast" after one of their scouts saw our display at a local event.  They expressed interest in filming how our cases were made but required us to send a detailed narrative of the process.  Their response was positive, and accompanied by a "but".  "We would love to film your process, but it is far too complicated to be used in our show."  And there you have it, Hollywood has determined it is too complicated a process  to film.

2005 is the year Custom Butterfly Art was conceived and our website came into being.  This site is now the third incarnation of Custom Butterfly Art.

Over the years, Bill continued to make butterfly display cases, we never really competed with each other.  Now in 2011, my good friend, mentor, and father figure, a man who I have the utmost respect for, no longer can produce these butterfly cases.  I now carry the torch, and I intend to do so for a very long time.  Perhaps, one day, I'll find a young man or woman who I can pass the torch to. Until then, the privilege is mine.