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 handcoat and rub in the first coat, then I add two more handcoated 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.