WHIMSICAL WOODS

Val and Nancy Jackson stand with two of their biggest birdhouses.

Sequim couple make art from backyard finds

Story and photos by Avani Nadkarni

To create their elaborate works of art, Val and Nancy Jackson don’t have to go far — they just turn to their own backyard.
The Jacksons make arts and crafts from wood, moss and flowers they find on their property, which sits on 14 acres between Sequim and Port Angeles.

“Ninety-nine point nine percent of the things we use are found right here,” said Nancy, gesturing to the vast woods behind their home, which includes a peek-a-boo view of the Olympic Discovery Trail and a portion of McDonald Creek.

The trademark items for the Jacksons, who moved to Sequim about 18 months ago from Northern California, are birdhouses that Val makes with wood from fallen or standing dead trees on their land.

“People think I cut down trees, but I don’t,” said Val, who said he uses trees that have fallen or branches that the wind has whipped off the tree.

Nearly every day Val walks his property searching for newly fallen logs or branches. The wood is best, he said, when it’s been on the ground for about a year. The moss that he often pulls off trees is renewable, Val added.

“People say, ‘Well, you just ruin it by taking it off’ ? but it does grow back,” he explained.

Although most of the moss is found on their property, Nancy said they stop and venture into woods on road trips. On trips to Eastern Washington, the Jacksons have found some brightly colored, unusual yellow moss, and Val said they know of a Northern California rest stop that always has wild California moss growing in nearby woods. The Jacksons bring their treasures back to their workshop, which contains bins and boxes filled with twigs, moss, vines and branches, all separated by function.

While Val tends to make larger birdhouses that are functional as well as decorative, Nancy said she enjoys making   smaller, ornament-like houses.

“I love to work on these little guys,” she said, picking up a small, delicate house. “I love to make ornaments around the holidays.”

The Jacksons say they appreciate donations of unneeded wood, especially fence and barn wood, which are harder to find here than in their former home near Santa Cruz.

“Friends of ours donated these,” Val said, holding up shingles from a old barn’s roof. Brightly colored mosses and lichens with red berry-like fruiting bodies are growing on the shingles. “They weren’t using them and we could make good use out of them.”

Val said they are sure to pass on the favor — the couple shares firewood from the property with elderly neighbors and friends during the chilly winter months.

Nancy said she knows others make similar birdhouses and crafts, but she enjoys the uniqueness of the materials she and Val use.

“We’d rather reuse items found in nature and recycle them,” she said. “It gives the birdhouses a lot more character. It makes them more whimsical.”

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Val and Nancy Jackson started Whimsical Woods about five years ago from their Scotts Valley, Calif., home. Since moving to Sequim a year and a half ago, they have sold their wares at the Sequim Open Aire Market. To donate wood to the Jacksons or ask about their pre-made or custom-made birdhouses and ornaments, contact them at 452-7308 or vjackson@cruzio.com.