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Continuing in the maritime tradition of his ancestors who were famous American shipbuilders since 1734, Greg McKay builds his museum-quality ship models in the time-proven, old-fashioned style of solid wood hulls with metal details. Mr. McKay built his first ship model at age 6 while growing up in Santa Fe, NM. When he was 11, he won First Place in a national model contest. He later studied art under the direction of Joseph Bakos, one of the original Cinco Pintores of Santa Fe and Taos.

After years of research, experimentation and dedicated study of the chemistry and durability of model building materials, Mr. McKay became convinced that there is no substitute for hardwood and non-ferrous metal in the art of producing museum-quality models. He also developed a unique technique for casting display models in resin and in porcelain - these models were based on hand-carved masters. His hand-painted porcelain models are made by the firm that produces Hummel figurines and the Franklin Mint.

Combining his background in art and engineering, Mr. McKay made modeling his profession in 1971. To further his experience and understanding of ship construction, he moved to the west coast and built steel yachts, becoming proficient in all phases of shipbuilding.

Mr. McKay's work is currently on display in several naval and maritime museums, many corporate offices and in countless individual collections. He is the official ship modeler for the Pentagon, and is at present creating a series of Aegis Class destroyers built at the Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine.