John Williams started his career as an
artist with woodcarving. He moved to Fredericksburg from Victoria, Texas.
For thirty years he was a Dupont research chemist, and like many energetic
people who retire from one career, he immediately set about to create
another. He began in Victoria with a woodcarving class, and enjoyed
learning to create figures, studying the grain of wood and learning that
each piece of wood requires different techniques.
He carved the Hill Country
Memorial Hospital logo from basswood. The piece was a gift to the hospital
from an anonymous donor, and now it is placed in the entrance to the
hospital for all visitors and patients to enjoy. That piece “took forty
hours to complete”, John said. The logo pictures a large live oak tree as
its dominant element. “You don’t just sit down and carve a tree,” John
said. Before doing the hospital piece, he went out and studied oak trees.
“They look so torn and gnarled sometimes, yet they surprise you with
abundant foliage where you might least expect it.”
John enjoys meeting people, and it
is a special pleasure to work with individuals who commission his work. He
specializes in wooden crosses, but can tackle almost any subject given
enough time and the proper selection of wood.
John’s studio is a place of excited
barking dogs and colorful cartoon characters that keep him in a happy frame
of mind. He rides his bike for transportation and reaches out a helping
hand to people in the community at every opportunity.
For John Williams, woodcarving and
life do have a lot in common. You just need to learn to go with the grain.
