B2
THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, MAY 15, 2021
‘Wood-idermy’: ‘Having a good imagination really helps’
Continued from Page B1
Those initial discoveries
formed the basis for a col-
lection that has proliferated
over the years to include
more than 50 hand-worked
driftwood sculptures, all
made from pieces found
along beaches in between
Seaside to Fort Stevens
State Park.
The goal for Thompson,
who moved from North-
ern California to Oregon
16 years ago and works as
a seasonal assistant ranger
in Ecola State Park, was
“to make the coolest collec-
tion of ocean wood art in the
world.”
In scouring the beach for
pieces to add to the collec-
tion, often with the help of
his dog “Hunter,” Thomp-
son keeps an eye out for a
few main elements: a cool
grain in the wood, interest-
ing knots, a unique shape or
natural features that resem-
ble eyes or noses.
“Having a good imagina-
tion really helps with that,”
he said.
The next step is touting
the pieces home — which is
easier for some than others
— and then cleaning off the
wood and removing any por-
tions that are deteriorating.
Next, Thompson often
sands down the wood and
adds oil to strengthen and
preserve it. When creat-
ing the sculptures, he will
sometimes incorporate other
found objects, such as metal,
glass buoys or pieces of iron.
One of his pieces features an
iron-coated sand dollar.
Thompson’s
collec-
tion includes a wide vari-
ety of wood species, includ-
ing oak, maple and cedar.
He has two large sculp-
tures made from old-growth
mahogany that washed up
near Camp Rilea in War-
renton. One of them has
been dubbed the “thought-
catcher.” Another of his
favorite pieces encompasses
three circular slabs of pecan
burl wood that bear images
resembling a volcano in var-
ious states.
“It’s the coolest, water-
etched,
by-Mother-Na-
ture natural painting in the
world,” he said.
He described his process
as “wood-idermy.” He iden-
tifi es the personality or spirit
embodied in the wood and
simply unearths and pre-
serves it. Occasionally, he’ll
use a 5-foot crosscut saw to
pare down the wood but he
doesn’t do any carving.
“I can’t compete with
wood-carvers;
Mother
Nature can,” he said. “I’m
fortunate enough to be able
to recognize her work.”
At this point, he feels
the collection — which is
spread throughout his home
in Seaside — is complete.
He’ll often receive off ers for
various pieces but he doesn’t
want to parcel them out.
“If I sell one piece, then
Photos by Katherine Lacaze
TOP: Thompson’s collection features personalized pieces of driftwood and other items.
ABOVE AND RIGHT: A few of the pieces in Thompson’s collection.
it’s not a collection any-
more,” he said.
His hope is to fi nd a gal-
lery, museum or other estab-
lishment that will host the
entire collection. For now,
he invites people to view it
at his residence. They also
can peruse the collection
virtually and watch vid-
eos with descriptions of the
sculptures at Thompson’s
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