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Meet the Artist: Scroll Saw Artist, Shirley Jones

Outlining Natures Beauty

Shirley Jones doesn't have to look far to find inspiration for many of her nature-themed scroll saw projects. She lives in Kent, Washington, located halfway between Seattle and Tacoma near Puget Sound.

Shirley is surrounded by natural beauty - lakes, mountains, ocean - and looks to such Pacific Northwest treasures as Native American totems and whale woodcarvings for ideas. That natural theme is readily apparent in Shirley's woodworking. "I love wood for itself - for its grain and natural color," she said.

While Shirley looks to nature for inspiration, she's an inspirational figure in her own right. At area craft fairs where she showcases her work, Shirley encourages many of the women she meets to pursue creative outlets, especially woodworking.

"Whenever a woman stops by my booth at a craft fair and says, 'I couldn't do that,' I say, 'Yes, you can,' " Shirley said. "It just takes patience. You're going to break pieces of wood and you're going to break blades, but it all takes time and practice.

"And age isn't a barrier. It doesn't matter how young you are or how old you are. You're only limited by your imagination."

Shirley Jones took up woodworking in 1989 after she retired from a 33-year career in the computer department at Boeing. Her area of expertise is using a scroll saw to create pieces from pattern designs. She incorporates scroll saw woodworking into most of her projects, including lamps, bowls, baskets, plaques and holiday ornaments, among many other items.

While scroll sawing is just one of Shirley's hobbies, she has sold numerous woodworking pieces, and is often commissioned to create custom items. Most of her commissioned work comes from word-of-mouth advertising. "I am pleased that people enjoy my work and want to buy it," she said.

The true joy of woodworking, Shirley said, is the process of creating a piece. "It's very relaxing for me and gives me a feeling of accomplishment."

Shirley grew up around woodworking and carpentry. Raised in Omaha, Nebraska, she learned a variety of woodworking skills from her father, who was a homebuilder and cabinetmaker. Her brother, Fred Lightell Jr., is an accomplished woodworker and carver - "he does just magnificent carvings," Shirley said.

"You could say my brother and I grew up with sawdust in our blood. My father built homes, and he did some cabinetry. He was very good at it. I always had an interest in it, but I never had the time to do the things I liked until I retired."

Shirley typically works three days a week in a small workshop in her garage. She often becomes so focused on her projects that she loses track of time. "Once I get started in the morning, (then) it's 2 o'clock in the afternoon and I haven't had anything to eat," she laughingly said.

The main tools Shirley uses are the scroll saw, router and Dremel drill. She taught herself how to use the scroll saw, "which I use almost exclusively," she said.

Her favorite types of wood are hardwoods; she prefers to use colored wood and clear finishes rather than paint her pieces. "I generally try to use woods that are the color of the piece," Shirley said. "I like oak, maple and walnut, and I've used some exotics like purple heart. I also like sandalwood and beechwood.

"I prefer hardwood to soft wood like pine, but I do use pine if that's what someone wants for the finished piece."

One of Jones' favorite pieces is a scroll saw lamp, which features an intricate nature design. She entered the lamp in the Rockler Woodworking and Hardware 5th Annual Woodworking Contest last year, winning top honors in the Scroll Saw/Intarsia category at the Rockler store in Tukwila, Washington. With the contest winnings, Shirley purchased a planer. A frequent customer at the Rockler store in Tukwila, she said, "I'm part of the family down there, I think."

Shirley encourages more women to get involved in woodworking. "I know a lot of ladies who think they shouldn't do it because it's a man's kind of thing, but it really isn't. It's fun and interesting, and a very fulfilling thing to do."

Photographs courtesy of Shirley Jones
Text by Keith Wandrei