Andy Jaramillo

As you walk up to Andy Jarmillo’s front door, you know you are at the home of a craftsman. The outside of his place is decorated with all kinds of interesting objects. There are old bones, twisted driftwood, rocks, petrified wood, and license plates. All these items are arranged to create interesting displays.

When you walk around to the side of his home you come across his woodworking area. This is where he creates his magic. Andy makes burl bowls. A burl is a growth on a tree that usually has wild swirling grain and unusual figuring. They are caused by an irritation in the growing tree from an insect, stress, fungus, virus, etc. Andy mostly uses aspen wood.

There is a pile of burls and a few tools – that’s it. There is no elaborate shop full of hand-saws and chisels. Andy works with three hand drills that have various grinding attachments. He works outside because of the dust, and does everything by hand. As he grinds out a bowl shape into the burl, he sometimes finds cracks in the swirling patterns of the wood. After working to sand the shapes smooth, he fills these little indentations with crushed turquoise. Then Andy applies a reddish stain and finishes the piece with a nice varnish.

These beautiful bowls are all different: no two are ever the same. The demand for Andy’s bowls is ever growing. He has recently sold seven of them, with an order for four more. The bowls are labor- and time-intensive creations. They are unique and they speak to Andy’s love for the outdoors.