Engraved into the rings of trees are narratives.
Using various woodworking techniques, local artist Tom Terrell narrates these stories into his various bowls, lamps and other art pieces featured in the Chapel Hill Art Gallery’s October exhibit “Fifty Shades of Grain.”
The exhibit, featuring more than 60 wooden pieces, was entirely handcrafted. What is unique about Terrell’s work is that it focuses on imperfections found in the wood.
Terrell’s first exposure to the woodcarving process happened as a young adult when his father and grandfather worked the cabinetry business. Later, he learned to work the lathe, a woodcarving tool, from an architectural restoration company located next to his home. In addition to the woodwork, “Fifty Shades of Grain” also showcases Terrell’s photography as well as some pieces by his wife, Sally Terrell.
“If there is damage from drought, it will cause the angular rings to do some really crazy things. I will make sure to highlight that,” Terrell said. “It’s a very important part of the tree because it tells you what it has gone through.”
To Terrell, a tree is not only an important part of nature, but also it is a part of history. Like a lot of artists, Terrell uses his artwork to illustrate his own personal history. For example, he named one of his pieces, “Lucy’s Bowl,” after his great-grandmother who discovered gold in Georgia, which later lead to the Georgia Gold Rush. True to the nature of his heritage, Terrell crafted the bowl in the traditional style of Cherokee woodwork and placed tiny flecks of gold within the wood, evoking the image of gold found in water.
“Even though it’s a plant, it’s been a part of history,” Terrell said. “We’re always trying to find ways to honor the history through wooden products.”
Terrell is aware that trees fall every day — trees that have grown in the backyard of a family home for generations. Trees that hundreds of people pass each day, and trees that stood in the background of monumental historical events. Likewise, Terrell adorns wood from different special sources.
“He incorporates a lot of ideas I’ve never even heard of before, such as gilding with different metal — copper and gold,” said David Taylor, a local artist who works alongside Terrell in the Chapel Hill Art Gallery.
