Meet Gary Johnson

Born and raised in the Mojave Desert, Gary Johnson developed an early fascination with understanding how things worked.

As a child, he spent countless hours taking things apart and putting them back together, with mixed results. Through high school, Gary discovered his talent in shop classes, earning the Bank of America Outstanding Achievement Award in Industrial Arts. At 19, he built a Ford Model T hot rod from scratch. His projects continued to grow in detail and complexity as his collection of tools expanded—a collection that continues to grow today. Making his own Christmas gifts for many years further developed his woodworking skills. He built his first clock 18 years ago, spending three years perfecting it—a design that continues to evolve today.

Gary’s third clock won Best of Show at the Alameda County Fair, followed by the same honor for his fourth clock at the California State Fair in 1994. As interest in his handcrafted creations grew, his work attracted attention, earning invitations to display his unique wooden clocks in high-end galleries in Carmel and Half Moon Bay, Ojai. Today, his clocks are displayed at Studio 7 Fine Arts in Pleasanton California. 

By the beginning of 2026, Gary had built a total of 62 clocks, with some owned and displayed across the United States and as far away as Japan and South Korea. Gary currently lives in Coarsegold, in California’s Yosemite Sierra region, where his passion for woodworking and mechanical design continues to inspire his distinctive handmade wooden clocks.