Jim Cunningham

Jim Cunningham of Bristol, Vermont handcrafts beautiful pens from reclaimed Vermont hardwoods. His pens have a complex wood grain and take a Parker refill. They make a special gift to commemorate graduation, a new job, a special birthday, or for yourself to celebrate a love of writing.

 

The Tennessean native moved to Vermont in 1984 and is entirely self-taught. Cunningham only needs about 2.5- to 3-inches of wood to turn pens. He takes the wood, splits it up into four pieces called “blanks,” lets those dry for a few months, pre-turns the wood to the basic oval shape and size, and then adds the parts that make it a pen.

 

Woodworking runs in his family. “My father was a wood carver, my uncles were mill owners and woodworkers, my cousins are woodworkers. Wood has always spoken to me and I see the beauty and character in each piece I hold.”