Johnny {JW} Morlan Profile
Hello, Welcome To My Woodworking Exhibition. Woodworking Artistry Combined With Functionality.
Below Is My Artist Statement & A Little Bit About Me.
Some of Johnny's creations have been bought by or given as presents to professional people, foreign dignitaries of state, celebrities and even the President and the First Lady of the United States.
"Excellence is the result of caring more than others think is wise, risking more than others think is safe, dreaming more than others think is practical and expecting more than others think is possible." Mac Anderson
Artist Statement
My focus is on remaining environmentally conscientious while creating and handcrafting beautiful yet functional unique limited edition or one of a kind wood items that can be shown proudly, provide the possessor with a conversation piece, many compliments, countless years of service, enjoyment, pleasure and be an heirloom that will increase in value as the years and decades pass.
All of my pieces are signed, dated and numbered {small items on the certificate} and comes with wood data, a brief artists profile, Certificate of Genuineness and an elegant folder to hold and keep your documents safe.
If given as a gift, pricing includes up to 4 special lines of wording of your choice added to the certificate! The date may correspond with the special occasion Christmas, Anniversary, Birthday and etcetera.
All my heart & soul goes into each piece! The wood for each and every one of my creations, is always selected for its grain, figure patterns {reading the wood} color, and how much it moves {expands and contracts} with temperature & humidity changes.
No two pieces of wood will ever be identical! The wood is left natural, I use no dyes, stains, paints or wood fillers. There are numerous techniques and finishes for finishing wood, a true wood artist develops their own techniques and finish to bring out the beauty of their works.
My technique for finishing wood {small pieces that are not handled or used a lot} is not to fill the pores, thus showcasing the intricacy of my designs and the natural character, distinction and depth of the wood making each piece one of a kind, just like your own fingerprint does for you.
Wood is such a beautiful medium to work with, I do not wish to hide its natural beauty by utilizing numerous coats of lacquer, shellac, polyurethane, and etcetera. I hand coat and rub in the first coat, then I add two more hand coated topcoats using a clear marine grade polyurethane spar varnish with ultraviolet inhibitors and a couple of other ingredients I have added to it to repel the suns UV rays and make it easier to apply with a cloth thus allowing the finish to penetrate the wood but not thick enough to take away the three dimensional look of the surface or giving an effect of looking like a piece of plastic.
Wood is a renewable natural resource. Today a number of woods come from sustainable sources. Through the efforts of people it can remain indefinitely. Woods that I normally uses include unique native American woods, wood that comes from managed forests, tree plantations, rediscovered wood or woods that are endorsed by the Rainforest Alliance. To assist in preserving our precious natural resources I donate 1 1/2% of your purchase to the National Arbor Day Foundation to plant new trees and 1 1/2% to the Rainforest Alliance to help preserve the rainforests.
Biography, Profile & Accomplishments
Johnny was born September 18, 1956, in Chillicothe Missouri. When he was about 3 years old his family moved about 90 miles away to Moberly Missouri. This is where he grew up, went to school and graduated from high school in 1975. He moved away from Moberly in 1981.
When he was about 7 years old he started helping his dad who did carpentry jobs. When Johnny was in his teen years his dad would sometimes become extremely irritated with him because he would always want to make the finish moldings and cabinets more intricate. His dad felt their customers might not appreciate or like the more fancy designs. Johnny also enjoyed creating small wooden objects. His dad told him there was not a market for such things, nobody would be interested in them or want to buy them. As he grew older he found out most people also agreed with his dad's statements. In 1989, Johnny decided to stop listening to all those people and that was when J W Morlan’s Unique Wood Gifts was born. He took 1 year of wood shop class in junior high school where he made average grades. Johnny has always loved and had a passion for working with wood.
Before Johnny started his own business he worked for a contractor that built and refinished cabinets and furniture.
He also worked for five years with a lumber and hardware store in the paint department where he helped hundreds of customers with their home and woodworking projects. He was well known in the area for being able to match a competitor’s stain or paint color well enough to spot paint or stain with it. He did this by using paints or stain bases and adding different colorants to it by eye {no computer matching in those days} until it matched the sample the customer had supplied.
Johnny has worked with unique woods since 1983. People from over 100 countries have viewed and admired his creations. He is a member of the International Who's Who Historical Society {his short biography is featured in the 2001-2002 edition of the International Who's Who of Entrepreneurs}. He is a member of the following organizations and associations: Rainforest Alliance Smart Wood Program, National Arbor Day Foundation, Woodworkers Book Club and a lifetime member of Handyman Club of America.
He received two honors in 2002, one being nominated for inclusion in the 2002 edition of the International Directory of Distinguished Leadership and the other being nominated by the Governing Board of Editors of the American Biographical Institute for the title Man Of The Year - 2002. This year he has been contacted by and has accepted being represented by an art marketing agency in London England to market his wood art works throughout Europe.
Some of Johnny's creations were chosen to be featured and sold on the TV show America's Product Showcase. His desk set creations were selected by Home Shopping International to sell on their website {HSI Online.} HSI even shot a short video of a couple of the desk sets which can be viewed on their website through a media player. He was chosen to be a Premiere Portfolio Artist at World Wide Arts Resources {WWAR.} Hundreds of artists from around the world {all different mediums} apply and compete to become a member of this exclusive arts marketing service.
Johnny was recently accepted to exhibit his woodworks of art on the Swedish art gallery web site {Arts Of Paradise}. Some of his designs, woodworking tips and jigs have been published in trade magazines. He has written a few articles that have been published and featured on websites and in newsletters.
Your Indoor House Environment & Wood Movement
How To Insure Wood Movement Doesn't Ruin Your Project
How Woodworking Differs From Other Art Mediums
30 Tips To Becoming A Successful Artist
To help create quality, unique pieces of work, Johnny has studied hundreds of woodworking magazine articles and more than 220 books on woodworking by as many as 180 authors. In addition he has studied numerous books and magazine articles on art, business, marketing, advertising and web mastering. He consults with both individuals and companies {World Tree Technologies, Impact Group New York, & B. K. Brown Designs} on the best wood, procedures and finishing techniques to use in the production of their wooden projects or products and how to advertise their products.
He has worked more than 350 species of wood and keeps more than 125 species in stock. His wood collection he periodically takes to schools and shop classes. There he answers the student's questions, educates them about the sustainable sources for wood and shows them the world of wood that many of them will probably never see.
A few of the custom made/commissioned pieces he has done in the past are, Figured American Walnut wood & Figured American Maple wood Checkerboard Set, Figured American Walnut wood & American Holly wood Record Christmas Stocking Holder, Morado wood Recipe File Box, Cuchi wood Triple Desktop Business Card Holder for the reception area of an investment firm, Bois d'arc {Osage Orange} wood Double 6 Dominoes Set with storage box which was commissioned by a couple, and given as a thank you gift to President George W. Bush and the First Lady.
Here are the names of a few of his past clients/customers, who have either purchased an already made creation from me or have had me do a custom made/commissioned piece for them.
Brown Wheeldon Investment Advisors LLP
World Tree Technologies
Jayson A. Wolfe, Attorney At Law
Women's American ORT
Recording Products
Lockheed Martin Corporation
SBR Incorporated
David Syn, M.D.
Coleman & Associates
Helene Grosman
Carol Rients LLC
Mary Kay Zanoni
Luv-N-Care, Ina Wallace
Laura & Doug Welsh
Aaron Glavas
Ginny Peters, President Industrial Drives Inc.
Rex Roten, Roten Law Firm Chartered
Jeff Knoedl, Knoedl Tax Advisory Group
General Comments
I am genuinely impressed with your expert craftsmanship and unique vision...so freshly expressed in your superbly executed creations, being, at once, utilitarian and aesthetically satiating....!! Bravo...I am, again, inspired!
Dan Owens
Dear Mr. Morlan,
I am the recipient of one of your wood creations.
I would just like to say your services are very special, which make the gifts even more memorable and cherished. The services that you offer are very hard to find nowadays.
Mildred Halliburton - Michigan
Yes, he loved the cardholder! He has it on his desk for all to see! Thank-you so very much for the beautiful work!
Mary Z - Michigan
Your work is fantastic and unique. I love your creations and know a lot of thought and effort went into creating such brilliant and artistic masterpieces. Congratulations and well done.
Troy B - Australia.
Your finished products are beautiful and your professionalism is EXCELLENT.
Lillian F - California
Your Work Is Fantastic! Pauline Lionel-Ickenox Art Agency Ltd.
London, England
Numerous motivational and philosophical proverbs hang on the walls of his studio. He lives and teaches them. He Loves teaching people who like and are interested in woodworking the true {Art} of woodworking!
This is one of his own sayings he teaches:
"The tools you use, the working environment you have and the raw materials you start out with, do not produce quality, craftsmanship or works of art! YOU DO!"
J.W.Morlan
Copyright Johnny W Morlan 1989-2005
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Solid 14 Karat Embossed Gold Banded Andiroba Wood Jewelry Box Jewelry Box made of Andiroba wood. {This is the only one of this design that will be made!} It is signed, dated, numbered with certificate and documents organized in an elegant black leather folder. Pricing Includes Up To 4 Special Lines Of Wording Of Your Choice Added To The Certificate! Dimensions are 19" wide x 11" deep x 5" high. On the outside of the box lid, the 2 outside panels have inlaid in them, 2 strips each of 9 inch long 1/4 inch wide 3/32 inch thick solid 14kt yellow gold embossed banding, {At the market value of $275.00 per oz, this type of banding has a value of approximately $15.00 per linear inch.} The center panel contains Ruby Red Cathedral Stained Glass that has a granite pattern texture to it. The sides of this box are routed. The box and lift out tray bottoms are lined with Red velvet. The compartment underneath the tray is unpartitioned. It has 2-24kt gold plated cup pulls {shell design} for handles, 2-polished solid brass 95 degree stop hinges, 4-14kt gold plated knobs {2 on the lid, 2 on the tray} and a 14kt gold plated 18 note musical movement which plays {your choice} Unchained Melody, Lara's Theme, Love Me Tender, or Wind Beneath My Wings. The melody will play about 3 minutes on one winding. The box bottom has a set of 4 polished solid brass {bun} feet. On the inside of the box lid, the 2 outside panels are lined with red velvet with the center panel being mirrored. The tray bottom has 4 polished solid brass knobs for feet.
Custom Made Thuyawood Burl Desk Set Has 24kt gold plated business card holders and pen with base. Bottom has felt protective dots and all components are attached to the base with screws. Thuyawood Burl is somewhat difficult to work. Very few woodworkers in the world have worked it or made objects of it. It is characterized by being somewhat brittle, having numerous small knots and a wild figure pattern that give it a very distinct look among woods. It is extremely difficult to obtain, expensive and highly prized. A burl is an out growth on the root of a tree. The tree that this Thuyawood Burl came from was cut down years ago and is now being reclaimed by people digging where the trees used to be in Morocco.
Americana Series Letter Openers, Wood Species From Left To Right Katalox Wood, Sirari Wood, Rimu Wood, Purpleheart Wood, Tarara Colorado Wood, Indonesian Rosewood, Bayo Wood, Teak Wood. Limited edition of 100 of each design. Each one is comes with certificate and documents organized in an elegant folder. Pricing Includes up To 4 Special Lines Of Wording Of Your Choice Added To The Certificate! Letter Openers have 2 3/4 inch lathe turned handles made of different species of wood. They have a 3 5/8 inch heavy duty titanium plated diamond shaped blade and cap {has the rich look of 24kt gold and is much more durable has lifetime warranty.} I do not use a duplicating attachment with templates, thus making each one a little different.
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More Info
| Name: | Johnny {JW} Morlan |
Lubbock, Texas, United States | |
| Occupation: | Woodworking Artist |
| Hobbies: | 1/4 Mile Dragracing, Wood Collecting, Photography |
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