About

Let’s get to know Jim Branham. He is a man most at home in his shop, bringing another one of his ideas to life. He always has a pencil behind his ear, and the old family dog, Crawford, is his faithful sidekick. While his looks are steely, his disposition is warm and gregarious. He is endlessly inspired and whimsically inventive. If he had a theme song, it would be Jimmy Buffett’s “A Pirate Looks at Forty.”

As a son of Air Force Colonel Bert Branham, Jim quickly became accustomed to moving regularly. A stroke of serendipity seemed to repeatedly land his family near the ocean. After living everywhere from Tripoli, Libya to Hampton Beach, NH and Savannah, GA, Jim couldn’t help but get a feeling of home from the sea.

“I always had a love for the outdoors and the ocean. Mom was always making crafts for church and Dad loved building furniture. I’ve been exposed to woodwork and creating things my whole life,” says Branham.

In 1981, Jim married Barbie, a fellow artist and now wife of twenty-five years plus. Her father was a dentist who enjoyed carving wild birds, and when he passed away, Jim inherited all of his carving tools.

“I wasn’t sure what I could make with them. I was really challenged to take up his craft and see if I could…well, do it. A serious back injury forced me into early retirement and I suddenly had spare time. I didn’t know what do with myself at first, but the tools were right there in front of me,” he says.

He realized that he not only had a knack for carving, but he loved doing it. Two and a half years later, he tried selling his work for the first time at The Richmond Hill Seafood Festival in Georgia. He was awarded ‘Best of Show’. Knock On Wood Carvings was created, and the rest, as they say, is history.

“It has never gotten old to him. He’s always brainstorming and trying new things. I have honestly had to go in there at five o’clock and say, ‘Uhh, hey…do you think you can come up for air and have some LUNCH?’” says Barbie.

Now, with seven years of carving experience under his belt, Jim has such accolades as winning the Woodcraft Magazine regional title and being exhibited at the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum on Harkers Island, NC. He regularly attends art shows and festivals, the most recent being the Savannah Waterfront Association’s “Fine Arts on the River” in May. Several stores in Savannah, Charleston, Beaufort and Pawleys Island now carry his work. Jim laughs about a recent customer:

“In Savannah I sold pelicans to some of the department heads from the nearby Ford Plantation. One of them requested that I make a king mackerel trophy for their fishing tournament since they typically give the winner some sort of glass bowl. After I sent the mackerel, I found out he decided to keep it displayed at the marina. The prize for this year’s winner? A glass bowl.”

He also has a special technique that adds to the realism of his work: using natural materials. Jim credits good friends for bringing over pieces of wood they think he can transform. His sister in Charleston, Glenna, saves driftwood for him.

“I feel driven to make the next one more detailed, more realistic…to learn as much as I can in order to advance my craft. My bird books are helpful guidelines, but I try to spend real time observing the wildlife I portray. I take walks through the woods or on the beach and look for anything unique that I can incorporate into a carving,” he says.

Jim has recently been making clever, less expensive items to round out the price range. He just finished some loggerhead turtle and pelican paper towel holders. He has a new collection of wreaths decorated with great blue herons, Carolina wrens, mallards, and friendly tree frogs. He has even ventured into more “abstract” art with the classic form of a bird body, smoothly sanded, with a sinuous, elegant neck and simple ebony stain.

Many carving pictures and information needed for contacting Jim Branham may be found on his web site, www.knockonwoodcarvings.net. He loves to hear new ideas and has no problem with commission work. He can also be contacted by leaving a message at (803) 957-6116.

If there’s one thing Jim isn’t, that’s self-important. “If I practice enough, one day I could be a good carver,” he says with a mischievous smile. Well, Jim, one thing’s for sure: we can count on you spending hours in the shop working away at it.

Just promise you’ll take a lunch break.