Tom Chambers

Artist’s statement:

Tom Chambers began his passion for art while attending the University of Tampa on a football scholarship. There, he studied Sculpture, Drawing and Painting. His art was put on hold after he married, began a family and entered the business world of retail. It was a corporate move from Orlando to Crystal River Florida in 1993 that ignited his interest in creating unique wood sculptures from the surrounding branches. His wife, Brenda, asked him to recreate a wall hanging from a small picture in a magazine. Tom's idea was to use the resources in his yard and the result, a 4 foot X 8 foot wooden sculpture, created from oak branches, still hangs in their Georgia mountain home today.

In May 2007, after 34 years in retail, Tom took early retirement to pursue his love of art full-time. He and Brenda moved from sunny Florida to the forest of north Georgia. The landscape and terrain provide the ideal setting from which to collect branches and create his unique designs.

What makes Tom's branch sculptures unique is their continuous flow, causing viewers to wonder where one branch ends and another begins. Each and every piece is an exciting challenge to the artist, due to the diversity of the branches available. He says, "Each piece sort of creates itself because you have to use what nature gives you. I could spend hours in the woods looking for just the right branch to complete a piece. Or I could stumble across it in a matter of minutes."

Tom admits that when he starts a piece of sculpture, he never knows how large it will end up becoming. He started one piece to go on a tabletop and it ended up being a 7 foot tall free-standing sculpture. "It all depends on where the branches lead me," says Tom.

Tom is a member of the Blue Ridge Mountains Art Association and belongs to the Southern Appalachian Artist Guild in Blue Ridge, Georgia. His work recently placed second for sculpture at Arts in the Park in Blue Ridge, placed third for Fine Art and received the Exhibitor's Choice Award at Riverfest in Canton Georgia.

Click on images below for larger views.



Sculpture "Black Trees on Copper" $183.00 by Tom Chambers	Sculpture "Coral Snake" $240.00 by Tom Chambers	Sculpture "Wild Hair" $208.00 by Tom Chambers

Sculpture "Framed Natural" by Tom Chambers