Some people’s lives revolve around nature; others revolve around creativity; still others are fortunate enough to combine the two into a singular driven passion. This is Tom Baker’s world since retiring from the National Park Service, as a Park Superintendent in 2019. He and his wife Kathy relocated to Ocean Shores, WA and finally to Talent, OR.
Tom began working with wood in the mid-1970s after relocating from his native urban Detroit to the wilds of Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula. The dense forests of the U.P. quickly replaced his urban roots, instilling a deep love for nature and working with his hands. His thirst for acquiring knowledge of woodworking skills and philosophies was boundless. He seized opportunities at every turn, becoming a skilled carpenter, then a custom home design-build contractor, reputed cabinetmaker, and finally a woodturner. Living in rural communities throughout his adult life, Baker’s skills are primarily self-taught, relying on books and a few videos by master woodturners. He has also taken brief, but intensive workshop classes from world-renowned British woodturner Jimmy Clewes. Tom has been a member of the American Association of Woodturners (AAW) since 1995 and has exhibited in several Instant Gallery venues during their Annual International Woodturning Symposiums.
For his wood-turned art, Tom employs arborists’ cuttings, windfall trees, logging butts and discards, cullings from commercial orchards, and sustainably sourced woods from the world marketplace. He has collected wood in Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas, Wisconsin, Colorado, Oregon, California, and Washington. “Providing wood with a second, or even third life, is a great feeling in a world filled with disposable everything.”-Tom
Tom’s wood-turned art is noted for being entirely one-of-a-kind, as he has no interest in production-style turning. His passion lies in the creation of wood art that significantly improves the quality of life for his patrons, bringing a rustic elegance to their living spaces. “I relish having my creations ‘speak’ to my patrons, as all art should to the buyer. That moment of intimacy and personal connection is my greatest reward.”
