GALVESTON COUNTY, Texas — If you know where to look, there’s art tucked all over Galveston Island. Not just in galleries, but in public right-of-ways and in yards.
"The origin, unfortunately, was Hurricane Ike," said Priscilla Files, executive director of the Galveston Island Tree Conservancy.
After storm surge poisoned the island’s trees with saltwater, killing tens of thousands where they stood, what could have been a blight became a boon thanks to a woman named Donna Leibbert.
"(She) went to the city and got the city to approve making tree sculptures in the city right-of-ways and then, of course, people wanted to do it in their yards as well," Files said.
You can’t tell the story of Galveston Island’s tree sculptures without this character: James D. Phillips.
"I’m a whittler," Phillips laughed. "I just use a bigger knife is all."
He stumbled into wood carving later in life.
"Back in 2005, I was cutting a tree down in my backyard and started doodling with the chainsaw. Made a pelican or something. Friends and family went, ‘Wow, Jim, can you do that again?’ and I got obsessed," said Phillips. "I started making stuff all the time. "
That includes the island’s first few tree sculptures near City Hall.
"In 2013, I quit my proper job, quit getting haircuts and now I just go around cutting trees," Phillip said. "I make studio work in my backyard for sale down at the René Wiley Gallery."
You can check out his work at the gallery and all over the island, along with carvings by other artists too.
"It’s amazing to see and it’s amazing to see them crop up around town," said Files.
If you need a guide to the different tree sculptures on the island, you can pick up a brochure or you can follow a map on your phone.
"It turned into a big deal and there’s, like, tour buses and stuff," Phillips said. "I love them all. There’s a story behind every one of them. Either the tree had some meaning to them or the subject matter."
Added Files: "It just makes the island even more magical than it already is."
For more information about the Galveston tree sculptures, click here.
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