Art pieces, bowls and other items handmade by woodturner Gordon Munn. AlyssaRudolph/battlefordsNOW)

By Alyssa Rudolph

Local Artist

Local woodturner becomes featured artist for BBEX Awards

Nov 21, 2025 | 6:00 AM

It’s a rewarding hobby that requires a high degree of skill and patience.

Woodturners shape pieces of wood into intricate pieces of art or functional objects like plates and bowls.

It’s an art form that Gordon Munn has become well known for.

The talented woodturner lives on a quiet farm east of North Battleford – the same farm he grew up on as a child helping to raise chickens, pigs, cows and a horse. After high school, Munn left the prairies and moved to Kitimat B.C. where he worked in a sawmill for two years, sorting lumber and running band saws. It was there that Munn started to really appreciate the natural beauty of wood. He was inspired by the unique grains and the knots, but it wasn’t until his uncle gifted him a lathe (a machine tool used to shape wood) in the late 70’s that really kickstarted his artistic talent.

“I retired quite young due to health issues and decided I had to find something, and I joined a woodworking club in Saskatoon and different demonstrations were given. I decided that this was the angle that I wanted, and I got into it and stayed there,” said Munn.

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A clock Gord Munn handcrafted. (AlyssaRudolph/battlefordsNOW)

This year, Munn was the featured artist for the Battlefords Business Excellence Awards (BBEX). He carefully created 12 clocks, all with unique characteristics, made of wood from the Lloydminster area. They were handed out as awards for the finalists.

Although the artist liked the experience of creating a trophy prize for a big event in the Battlefords, if he could, he would make one specific piece every day.

Munn enjoys creating unique vases this like this one. (AlyssaRudolph/battlefordsNOW)

“It’s vases like this one. They bring me a lot of good feelings, just the color and the character of it, just because they’re so unique. You can get a thrill out of making something like this,” said Munn.

The artist is currently involved with two woodworking clubs in Saskatoon: Woodworkers Guild and Hub City Turners. Woodworkers Guild brings together various artists to create big projects like desks and tables, while Hub City Turners focuses mainly on lathe work.

Through the clubs, Munn has connected with many artisans who share similar interests to him. One in particular has been an inspiration – Trent Watson, a fellow woodturner who shared his knowledge.

“He gave me a lot of info and a lot of help in the beginning. He’s still far better at [being] a woodturner than me, but he still makes his suggestions once in a while about what I should do,” said Munn.

(AlyssaRudolph/battlefordsNOW)

While he tries to attend local craft shows when he can, and still takes custom orders, Munn has had to slow down a little because of his health issues. Fortunately, many of his beautiful woodturned pieces are available for purchase.

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alyssa.rudolph@pattisonmedia.com