While most of us plan for our retirements financially, few of us give advance thought to what we might do with all of that free time. However, Alabama native L.H. Wilson did.
When retirement from the Baptist Sunday School Board (now LifeWay Christian Resources) approached for Wilson, he considered a hobby in art to fill his days. After all, he had served as manager of advertising for the last 18 years of his 30-year career and worked closely with artists and designers.
“I doodled all the time, but I don't recall ever having taken an art course in school,” says Wilson, explaining his decision to enroll in an art class at Watkins Institute National School of Art. There he was introduced to painting, which he enjoyed and for which he showed talent. But after taking a carving class at Faulkner University in Montgomery, he would rarely pick up his paintbrushes again.
Today, Wilson has quite a collection to show for his 11 years in retirement. His Birmingham home is filled with his hand-carved masterpieces. A walking stick with an open, intricately carved grapevine design leans against the fireplace. A prize-winning family of wolves sits in a display case. A bust of Andrew Jackson greets you in the foyer. A curio cabinet holds the handmade Christmas ornaments that exclusively decorate a ceiling-high Christmas tree. Downstairs, his basement workshop is filled with works in progress, and preliminary sketches are tacked to the walls.
His handiwork is not limited to art pieces. Wilson uses dozens of gouging tools and knives in his trade, many of which he makes himself — sometimes from unusual materials. One tool was made from the steel shaft of a golf club, another from the insole of a golf shoe. Working with these sharp instruments requires concentration and a steady hand. Wilson notes that he's never had a serious injury in his 11 years of carving, although he's witnessed several accidents requiring emergency room trips in the workshops he has attended.
It is not awards or profits but an inner satisfaction and a love for nature that motivate Wilson to carve. In fact, like many artists, he has often had a difficult time giving up his pieces, even when would-be buyers made generous offers. He created his first-place-winning carving of a family of wolves after only three years of carving and turned down all offers to buy the piece. But while still living in Nashville, he hosted an invitation-only show/sale, which helped him learn to say goodbye to pieces he has sometimes worked on for months.
He has since accepted commissions for several unique pieces including a full size buck for Christian recording artist Michael W. Smith's Nashville home. In 2000 he presented Oak Mountain High School with an eagle relief carving in honor of the new school's first senior class. He also regularly contributes pieces to his former church in Nashville to help raise money for missions. And currently, he is working on a tiger for his alma mater, Meek High School in Winston County.
Nature is clearly an inspiration for Wilson’s creativity. You will find all sorts of eagles, songbirds, horses, tigers, bears and such in his collection. “Carving has made me acutely aware of nature, of God’s beautiful creation.” Always fond of the outdoors, he gets great satisfaction from creating something unique from the scrap wood he discovers while walking or while attending his grandsons’ ballgames.
“One thing I like to share in my motivational talks with school children is that you don’t have to cut down a tree to do a carving,” Wilson explains, holding a six-inch Native American whittled from a small, broken branch found on the ground.
Wilson’s beautiful work has opened many doors for him to share his newfound love. Although he never considered himself much of a public speaker, he now speaks to many groups — from children to senior citizens. He especially enjoys motivating and teaching fellow retirees who feel they could never tackle a hobby such as painting or carving.
“Talent is simply interest pursued,” argues Wilson when students protest they don’t have the talent for artistic endeavors. “I urge them to do what they can and then grow from that,” he advised.
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