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Waitsfield, Vermont - November 12, 2010

Ken Kenia brings the great outdoors inside.

"Antlers are truly unique to themselves," said Kenia of Mad River Antler.

The Waitsfield artist creates usable antler art-- everything from pen holders and wine racks to larger items like lamps and chandeliers.

"I'm most creative in the wintertime because I'll look out my window and see that the snow is just coming down and I'll just start banging the stuff out," Kenia said.

Kenia uses only antlers that deer, elk and moose shed naturally as they grow, so no animals are hurt in the process.

"Most people won't even part with their sheds because they're so hard to get," Kenia said. "It's not just throwing it together, there's a lot of thought process that goes into it."

He calls himself a perfectionist; making a chandelier takes him around one week, hand picking all the antlers and then arranging them to have perfect balance and symmetry. Drilled holes hide the wiring and hand painting over an epoxy clay covers them up.

"I usually leave this for night time work because it's kind of relaxing," he said.

Kenia focuses on his art at home in his studio and then sells his pieces at the Bridge Street Emporium where he teamed up with other local artists.

"The love that I have doing this type of work, I'll spend a lot of time explaining it to different people, so when I bring it here at least I'm able to focus on telling about the piece versus getting the piece done," he said.

The designer also goes into people's homes and does custom consultations.

"The biggest mistake some people do is they'll buy a chandelier and find out it's too small," Kenia said.

But he doesn't just pride himself on the quality of his product.

"After you're done with the piece not only is it one of a kind but it also is provided by Mother Nature herself," Kenia said. "It's so cool-- each piece is unique."

One-of-a-kind trophies that are Made in Vermont.

Click here for more on Mad River Antler.

Gina Bullard - WCAX News - Made in Vermont