Billy Gibbons has done a little bit of about everything in his 82 years of life, dabbling in various careers and trades, but he often thinks fondly back on the five years he spent as professional wood sculptor.
“I definitely had a passion for it,” Gibbons said. “I enjoyed the carving, and it was a challenge."
Those giant cedar slabs depicting lifelong passions like hockey and the cowboy life writ large still adorn his backyard fence to this day.
“Back in the day, I did some extra work to supplement my income,” recalled Gibbons. “I did wood carving, and I would have to go to BC because I did big wood carving … They were all on natural pieces of cedar, which I would pick up in Revelstoke, BC. at a lumber mill. They gave me a good deal on the pieces, but I would have to bring them in a truck because this wood is pretty frickin’ heavy when you are loading up, say, ten pieces of wood.”
He would use these cedar slabs to fulfill various commissions when people wanted something specific done, or he would sometimes create something just for himself.
"I would kind of have to figure out the design," Gibbons said, "where I was going to place certain things– like advertising on the right or the picture on the left.”
Gibbons would often work from photos, tirelessly reproducing the correct lines in the cedar with his specialty woodworking tools. He would use various stains to bring out the natural grains and contrasts in the relief images. It would take approximately two weeks to complete each sculpture.
It was even more fulfilling to use his own two hands to make them, he said, because, at the time, Gibbons was working with computers for his day job.
“I really didn’t have a woodworking background,” he explained. “Back in the day, I was setting up IBM systems. This was like a side job I did to make a little extra money, and I liked it.”
Although he no longer carves, Gibbons says he may eventually donate the large-scale sculptures so others can enjoy them for years to come. Until then, they’ll remain in his backyard, a proud tribute to a time when cedar, craftsmanship, and creativity all came together in one man’s hands.
