Dallas County
Woodwork
When asked to describe his art,
Tom Bolton said “I would not call it art…I would call it a labor of love and
something I do whenever I need to escape from the stress of my job and my
life. It is peace for me. I am a woodworker – it’s as simple as
that. I work primarily in wood – but also in some metals.”
Tom spent his childhood working
with his Daddy in his woodworking shop. He said that he inherited his tools and
his passion for working with wood from him. Tom’s materials come from
reclaimed old buildings. He said he “doesn’t believe they should be
simply torn down and discarded”. He said that depending on an item, a
project he makes might take from two hours to two years to make. “It
might be as simple as a cross which is truly my favorite or as complex as a
table for twenty,” he said.
Heart pine is by far Tom’s
favorite species of wood for carving bible verses and old southern sayings that
he learned as a child. His other projects have included lamps, tables,
crosses, plaques, knives, pens, pencils, chairs, cabinets and other furniture
pieces.
Tom has worked with wood in
various forms for over forty years, stopping only “when my Daddy died”.
Needing an outlet from job related stresses of being a builder, Tom returned to
woodworking because it was an enjoyable and fulfilling release to complete a
task with his hands. And he said “It’s also a lost art. I feel it’s a calling
and it’s very calming to me. Plus I love doing it for other people and
sharing my heritage with them.”