TOM MORRISON

Tom Morrison 

 

Tom Morrison, better known as Papa to his 8 grandchildren, was born and raised, on a ranch, just outside of Ellensburg, Washington. Tom grew up loving the outdoors, herding cattle in the mountains, and participating in rodeos throughout the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada. His first attraction to wood came when as a young man he drove a log truck and noticed the many twists, turns and colors of the wood.

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Tom’s dream of having a sawmill and having the ability to cut rough lumber came true soon after his marriage to his wife Ginger. Along the way, he began collecting all kinds of wood. His wood collection grew with Walnut from neighbors’ trees, “Blued Ponderosa Pine” and “Douglas Fir”, left over from the sawmill they owned, as well as “Cherry”, “Apple”, and “Pear” from orchards that were cleared in the Columbia Basin Area of Washington State.

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After finding plans for a wood lathe in a craft magazine, it didn’t take long for him to build his own lathe. To be closer to his children and grandchildren, he and his wife moved to Deer Park, Washington. With a passion for the natural beauty of wood, he began making one-of-a-kind, handcrafted bowls, from his wood collection. The natural graining of the knots and bark were enhanced when turned on the lathe. Because of the overwhelming response from friends and family, they now make available to the public their unique wood turnings made from domestic and exotic reclaimed woods.

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Tom now uses turquoise and other fillers to fill the defects and imperfections in the wood, giving them a new rich luster and unique one of a kind design. A few years ago, he expanded his arts and now makes beautiful large salad/food bowls, yarn bowls, platters, wall art, clocks, lazy susans, and cribbage boards. Tom incorporates all sorts of woods into his creations, from exotic African woods, to unique wood burls with bark edges, that come from all over the United States and the Pacific Northwest to give them an eye-catching look.