by Noella Noelophile®
(Photograph courtesy of Freda Nelson Evans, and used with permission.)
Artist J. Michael Evans uses his woodworking talents to creates unique fine art.
His lidded bowls seem to glow. An unusual design, his “winged bowl”, has the bowl seeming to grow out of a wooden platform. He uses the natural attributes of a piece of wood–including striations–to highlight some of his pieces.
But, what turned me into a customer of his small business, Ozarks Wood-N-Stuff, were his hand-turned wooden pens. (I’m loving the feel of my smooth cherry wood “luxury” pen for journal writing!)
Michael, who is self-taught, also creates custom baby rattles, Christmas ornaments, tops, and some refrigerator magnets that would make fantastic secret-Santa gifts.
Like to see his work onsite? Michael has some of his natural bowls on display at Chemers Gallery, in Tustin, California. And if you happen to be in Branson, Missouri, check out his booth at Branson Mill Craft Village.
And if you’re in the California area and won’t get over to Tustin, you might like to mark your calendar for February, 2018. He also exhibits at Anaheim Art Crawl, happening in February, May and August–and at the Hillcrest Fine Art Festival, at Hillcrest Congregational Church in La Habra Heights, the last weekend, in February!
Another fun fact? Michael is a musician, and his wife Freda is an actress. They divide their time between Southern California and Branson, Missouri, where Michael and Freda have both performed in the “Shepherd of the Hills” traditional play. (During the Christmas season, Freda also performs as “Mrs. Santa Claus” at an outdoor shopping area and local hotel!)
Michael talked about his woodworking, some of the techniques he uses and his path as an artist.