Adonia Lee

Coming from Neah Bay, Washington, I was surrounded by woodworking from an early age. My father and uncles carved traditional masks, totems, canoes, paddles, and bent boxes. Although I didn’t imagine myself becoming a woodworker and didn’t begin working with wood until my early twenties, I have always known the importance of Northwest woods to our Makah people. The materials I work with carry memory, place, and story, and through my art I draw out the beauty hidden beneath the bark, giving it a new form and a new way to be appreciated.

Education

In 1999 I began a two-year woodworking program at College of the Redwoods, where I learned foundational skills in fine woodworking and design. It was there that Bodega Bay woodturner Jerry Kermode came to campus to teach a workshop, introducing me to the creative process and fine art of woodturning. That experience changed everything and sparked a lifelong love of the lathe.

I was later honored to receive a full scholarship from Sam Maloof to attend a summer workshop at Anderson Ranch in Colorado with David Ellsworth and Gary Knox Bennett, exploring the relationship between woodturning and furniture making. Over the years I’ve been fortunate to study with extraordinary artists and to teach workshops of my own. Sharing this work, especially watching young people and emerging artists discover their confidence and creative voice, has become one of the most meaningful parts of my practice.

 

 

Metalsmith

I began mixing different elements into my woodworking early on, drawn to the way metal, stone, and wood naturally speak to one another. So many materials complement wood, each bringing its own texture, weight, and history into the work. Over the past sixteen years I have developed my silversmith practice alongside my woodworking, building a metals studio where I focus on jewelry and sculptural pieces that merge these elements.

Whether I’m creating adornment or larger forms, I love working in contrast—soft and hard, polished and raw, ancient and contemporary—and letting the materials guide the design. Metal has become another way for me to tell stories, adding layers that wood alone cannot hold.

 

Today

My home and studio overlook the San Juan Islands, and the beauty of this place continues to shape my work. I draw inspiration from my Makah culture, where many of my family and friends are gifted artists, makers, and storytellers. Now in my twenty-fifth year of working with wood, I still feel like I am just beginning, still discovering new species, new techniques, and new ways to bring form and meaning together.

Much of my material comes from driftwood gathered along the beaches of my home. Many of my turnings are inlaid with stone, abalone, and precious metals. As an artist and a mother of two, I care deeply about the impact I have on this earth and try to tread lightly, honoring what these salvaged trees offer beneath the bark. My kids often share my studio space, reminding me daily why making, teaching, and supporting creativity in others matters.