Artist: James Brinley
Simply “Simpsonville”
GJ: How were you contacted to create this piece?
JB: I was passing through Simpsonville on a Saturday and saw the large stump in the yard of a house. The homeowner was in the beginning stages of restoring the property to its former glory and that tree was one of the larger ones on the property. Prior to that Saturday, I had hardly noticed the house due to the overgrown property. I stopped to speak with the homeowner to see if he was interested in having it sculpted. After a quick check on the soundness of the tree, we started discussing possibilities with the amount of material that could be used.
GJ: What is the inspiration for this piece?
JB: The inspiration comes from some of the historic and modern elements of Simpsonville. This house was one of the first homes built in Simpsonville. It was built in 1905. The homeowner wanted to pay tribute to the home, or some part of it. I saw a possibility within the main trunk – the opportunity to sculpt a likeness of the Simpsonville Clock tower to tie in a modern landmark of the town. The sculpted tree was a way to tie it all back to the original tree, itself. With the tree being older than the home it, too, has a historic value to the property and town.
GJ: What materials did you use to create this piece?
JB: Other than the red oak tree itself, stain and preservative materials, nothing.
GJ: How long did it take to create and what was the creation process like?
JB: I spent a total of six days sculpting it over the course of three weeks. Once the design and layout are approved, I move into blocking the biggest pieces away from the finished product. The process is dusty and dirty most of the time but I love it. I use seven different saws typically, starting with the largest and moving towards the smallest saw. Each has their own purpose and use. Once I run out of the saw’s abilities, I move to the next smaller detailing saw, until I can move onto electric or hand tools. The process is extremely detail-oriented in this case, meaning there was quite a bit of layout and double-checking. It isn’t a typical bear or eagle carving that lets the wood speak to me.
GJ: What is your favorite part of the piece and why?
JB: My favorite part has to be the one-piece front porch of the house. Except for tuning up the pillars and the windows, I carved the house 100% with a chainsaw. It was slow, making sure I had the cuts planned out correctly, and I wouldn’t make any mistakes, but I enjoyed stretching my imagination to create the negative space.
GJ: When was the piece completed?
JB: March 2021
It is located at 202 W. Georgia Road in Simpsonville.
