About the Maker
Dana James Mellinger
The Hands Behind Cowboy Pens
In Cachagua and throughout Big Sur, people know to call Dana James when they spot a pile of unwanted wood — not neatly cut firewood, but burned trees, twisted branches, root balls, or gnarled pieces that might otherwise be thrown away.
Dana James sees something else: a future bowl, a pen, a vessel, a story waiting to be revealed.
By day, Dana James is a finish carpenter — a world of straight edges and parallel lines. At home, everything becomes round: pens, bowls, platters, spirit vessels. His workshop is centered around the lathe, including one passed down from his father.
After his father’s passing, Dana James returned to that tool as a way of honoring memory, learning the craft with devotion. One of his earliest pieces was a hand-turned pen casing gifted at the funeral — and from that moment, Cowboy Pens was born.
A Relationship With the Wood
Dana James’ work is guided by relationship rather than perfection. Instead of sanding away marks, rot, or natural discoloration, he embraces the wood’s truth — the burn, the weathering, the movement in the grain.
“I like to let the wood be what it wants to be. I’m not really taking credit — it’s more intuitive than deliberate.”
Some pieces are finished quickly. Others sit for months — even years — until inspiration arrives.
What He Makes
Cowboy Pens began with handcrafted pens — including resin casings embedded with organic materials — and has grown into a full body of wood art.
Dana James creates:
• Handcrafted pens (including resin + natural inlays)
• Large bowls and platters (often with live edges and sculptural forms)
• Spirit vessels (rounded forms with narrow openings)
• Specialty boxes (including pen kit boxes with compartments for ink and tools)
Many works are as beautiful on a wall as they are in a home. Some larger pieces are decorative and not intended to be food-safe.
From Fire and Fallen Trees, New Life
Dana James is drawn to wood with a story — pieces shaped by weather, time, and fire. In his hands, what looks like debris becomes a functional heirloom — a vessel for the living.
