MASTER cabinet maker and restorer Andre Hubbard has his eyes keenly locked on the western horizon. The man, who sees beauty and life in every piece of wood, believes a diminished appreciation of antiquities in Bermuda means the island can no longer sustain his business.

"We live in a changing place in Bermuda. Even in my short time, things have changed profoundly. The styles, the way in which people live, their appreciation's have changed," he elaborates.

No one, he says, wants individually created pieces of furniture, heirlooms which can be passed down from one generation to the next and that was not always the case.

"It's like the traditional ways, they are tangible, you pass them on from father to son, from one generation to the next, so that the children will learn that. We don't have enough people here who believe in that way of living and want to invest in having pieces created for themselves which they then pass on to their children," he says with obvious emotion.

Fine Furniture and Antique Restorations has had a successful 16 years, but over that period the staff quota has dropped from 12 to four, forcing Mr. Hubbard to rethink his business plan and evolve. This meant looking outside Bermuda.

"Part of what I have had to do to preserve the integrity of the business is broaden our scope. I do a bit of project management both locally and overseas, principally with historic buildings. The concepts are the same - seeing, understanding and interpreting," he explains.

Over the past few years North America has become their "other market", which also gave Mr. Hubbard the opportunity to pursue another life-long dream - being schooled in the traditional native ways of the North American Navajo tribe.

"So that I can learn to live in greater peace and harmony with all things," he explains.

"I have a dream to live somewhere where I can wield this craft and have the opportunity to create, whether it's furniture or interiors, have the opportunity to continue to learn the traditional ways of the medicine path."

Mr. Hubbard spends on average a week of every month in the United States including the Manti Valley in Utah and the Navajo reservation in New Mexico.

During one of these trips he had the opportunity to sit amongst wild wolves in the wilderness of Montana and says the experience left him almost speechless: "To be, even for a moment in the grand scheme of things, accepted and have them come sit with me."

Because of experiences like this, and also his work with the Navajo people whom he has come to think of as family, Mr. Hubbard believes he can no longer turn his back on this "calling" to live on open land.

But he is still wrestling with how to leave Bermuda.

"Bermuda has been very good to me. It has provided an opportunity, a house and a workshop, a means to realise this dream. So what am I still doing here? I'm trying to give back. Trying to find a way to create a balance to be able to go out there (to the wilderness), but to keep coming back and bring back the teachings."

He also refuses to abandon his people: "I'm still here because I still feel a sense of commitment to give back, to say thank you and find a way to maybe do both."