Artigianati.com

by CLARE LENNON

Wood artist Pete Hudson, 54, sits in his outdoor workshop where he creates wooden alligator sculptures.Photo by Emily Fuggetta

With his brown hair, gray sweatshirt and Philadelphia Eagles baseball cap, Pete Hudson seems like any other guy. He lives in Gainesville and calls himself a Gators fan.

He also has two titanium cages, two rods and six screws in his back — a setback Hudson used to propel a hobby into a new career.

Hudson is an artist who carves wood into figurines and has recently decided to carve a niche in the Gainesville market by creating wooden alligators.

Hudson had to give up his longtime job as a merchant mariner because of an accident, during which he broke his back when he was hauling debris from the Sept. 11 attacks on a barge in January 2002....

Read more at -  http://www.alligator.org/news/local/article_9605282c-d8b1-11de-a761-001cc4c002e0.html