Conway veteran creating one-of-a-kind birdhouses in retirement

Conway, Arkansas – In order to be creative in retirement, a Conway veteran is producing unique artwork.

Larry Fiori claims that his stint in the US Navy gave him the opportunity to travel and experience architecture and art from around the globe.

He had no idea that those encounters would motivate him to produce some of his own artwork.
“Join the Navy and you’ll see the world; I did that,” Fiori added.

During Vietnam, Fiori was assigned to the U.S. Navy as a shipfitter, stationed in the Mediterranean.

Fiori wanted something to occupy his time and keep his mind active after he retired.

After completing a fence, he had some extra lumber. He thought about what he might do with it and decided to create birdhouses.

“I just had a lot of fun doing it,” Fiori remarked. “I would just go out in this little shop that I had, put the radio on, and just you know concentrate on what I was doing.”

Fiori created one-of-a-kind artworks using wood, marble, paint, and vintage license plates.

“You know you don’t have a pattern or a plan to start this,” Fiori remarked, adding that each one is unique.

His family decided to start assisting him in selling the more than 100 birdhouses he had made in order to help cover his medical expenses.