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A 30-year fascination with wood
Hammond artist JR Moyer enjoys the yin and yang of working with wood
By DAN HAAG
W
When a sunset or a piece of glass or a
landscape calls, artists answer. Sometimes
they know why, other times it’s an inexora-
ble compulsion.
In the case of Hammond’s JR Moyer,
it’s three decades’ worth of a fascination
with wood, its unique characteristics and
its place in history.
Moyer’s Hammond location provides
much of the inspiration he fi nds in wood:
He lives in a “fi ne old home” built in 1889,
complete with attached workshop that
is fi lled with a collection of wood found
along the North Coast.
As with any burgeoning artist, Moyer
drew upon childhood inspirations to fi nd his
current path, including a book of the works
of Michelangelo given to him as a gift.
“It was a no-brainer,” he says.
Moyer’s early attempts were a stone
bust, followed by ship carving and kite
construction. Through trial-and-error, he
quickly realized that his hands were more
comfortable with heavier tools.
“When I try to draw or paint I am dis-
tracted by how unsteady my hands can be,”
he says. “The weight of a hammer or chisel
eliminated that issue, and it has been wood
working ever since.”
Moyer holds a degree in marine biology,
though he can’t point to a specifi c moment
he made the leap from science to art.
“Most kids my age grew up watching
and wanting to be like Jacques Cousteau,”
he says. “I built things and worked with
wood from childhood.”
While doing his graduate work at the
University of Washington, Moyer spent
time in the San Juan Islands. This period
cemented his love of the coastal Northwest.
When the university opted to close its
labs, Moyer was faced with fi nding a new
path. “Life just moved in another direc-
tion,” he says.
Now, his body of work can be seen in
galleries in Maryland, Oregon and Wash-
ington. His pieces have been featured in
settings from restaurant entrances in Aus-
tin, Texas, to shopping malls in southern
Maryland as well as in area magazines
JR Moyer’s favorite large projects are rocking
chairs, which often feature found wood. The Ham-
mond woodworker says he is encouraged, sup-
ported and inspired by his wife, Kristy.
JR Moyer’s wood shop is in Hammond.
highlighting local art and artists in and
around the Oregon Coast. His commis-
sioned works hang in the city counsel
chambers of Cannon Beach, as well as
in private collections across the country.
Some of his work can be seen at Primary
Elements Gallery in Cannon Beach.
Quite a different direction, indeed.
Moyer’s shop — dubbed Hammerhead
Woodworking — allows him to freely
investigate his fascination with the many
grains and textures of wood. He also en-
joys the evolution of his style, an explora-
tion of yin and yang.
“I hate to use a word as overworked as
‘fusion,’ but I really enjoy the accuracy
you can achieve with modern tools,” he
SUBMITTED PHOTOS
Inspired by wood found on nearby beaches, JR Moyer often incorporates these highly
fi gured pieces into new designs, such as this table.
says. “It requires you to be hyper focused,
very alert. It is loud and dusty — ‘yang’ in
a way. I spend almost an equal amount of
time with chisel, spoke shave, hand rasp
and sand paper. It is visceral and medita-
tive, the ‘yin’ side.”
Moyer began making reproductions
of Victorian or Craftsman styles, and he
learned a lot of joinery techniques from
Stickley and Greene styles.
As he became more fascinated with
the wood he found on nearby beaches, he
began to incorporate these highly fi gured
pieces into new designs, or create artwork
with the fi gured wood alone.
As Moyer prepares to work on a piece,
he usually heads to his shop with a rough
idea and an even rougher sketch.
“To me, each piece in progress represents
a free-fl owing incarnation of the design
process,” Moyer says.
Moyer’s favorite projects are both small
and large.
When he needs “closure,” he enjoys
turning bowls on a lathe or making a lamp.
But nothing compares to the creation of
rocking chairs.
“My new ‘large’ project favorite by a
mile is making rocking chairs. It is pretty
close to having everything,” Moyer says.
“You get to stand back and admire the
beauty of the wood or design as in other
wood art, but it is next level in that you
move with it and so closely interact with it
in ways other furniture cannot approach —
very tactile.”
Moyer also enjoys a multitude of local
projects, from small homeowner redesigns
and repairs to the Craftsman renovation in
the Coast Guard area, which brought him
back to the Stickley style. He was also
part of the team that restored the Astoria
Riverfront Trolley.
Now, as Moyer spends time in his shop,
perched on the topmost corner of the coast,
he refl ects on what shaping wood has
taught him. “The joys of a moment are bal-
anced by more than a moment of humility
as the limitations of technique or ability are
revealed,” he says.
For more information on JR Moyer’s
Hammerhead Woodworking, visit
www.hammerheadwoodworking.com