{"id":43461,"date":"2021-05-28T06:00:43","date_gmt":"2021-05-28T10:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/?p=43461"},"modified":"2021-05-26T21:14:41","modified_gmt":"2021-05-27T01:14:41","slug":"feature-artist-tom-sims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/arts\/feature-artist-tom-sims\/","title":{"rendered":"Feature Artist: Tom Sims"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Tom Sims, artist<\/p><\/div>\n

By Gina Malone<\/p>\n

Although he studied woodworking at Western Kentucky University, Tom Sims refers to himself in his early days as a \u201cregular woodworking hobbyist\u201d and says he primarily made things to give away as gifts. A Kentucky native, he transferred with his job to Hendersonville in 1979 and began investing in equipment. Early in the 2000s, he began to find outlets for his work and today, retired from his job, he devotes himself full-time to his craft.<\/p>\n

Of his three siblings, he is the only one who became a crafter, although he says his father volunteered his carpentry skills to the community where they lived and his mother\u2019s talents included drawing, quilting and crewel embroidery.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Tom Sims, artist<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cMy first woodworking interest was with Southwestern design,\u201d Sims says. \u201cOnce I visited the Grove Park Inn, I realized it was actually the Arts & Crafts movement designs that were calling me. I currently make the majority of my products in the Arts & Crafts style, including Stickley Craftsman, but I prefer the Greene & Greene Brothers style, which has an Asian influence that maintains the Arts & Crafts joinery but softens the bulkiness with soft curves and flowing lines.\u201d<\/p>\n

He favors woods that are natural to the Appalachian Mountains: white oak, walnut, cherry and maple. \u201cI also use sustainable woods from around the world like leopardwood, redheart, ebony and sapele,\u201d he says. \u201cMy products are made to be visually admired and touched.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

Tom Sims, artist<\/p><\/div>\n

Nature inspires his designs, as do creations by other woodworkers and original ideas that come to him. \u201cAll of my projects start in my sketchbook and sometimes become adjusted as I go,\u201d Sims says. \u201cMost of my pieces are one-of-a-kind; however, I do get repeat requests, which makes the sketchbook a handy reference. I also make products specific to customers\u2019 orders.\u201d Among his creations are boxes, furniture, lamps and clocks. He is currently at work on a cherry Asian-style bookcase, a walnut wall shelf and several boxes. A regular customer for his boxes is The Boulders, a community in Hendersonville whose staff present Sims\u2019 finely handcrafted boxes to customers who purchase a building lot in the development. \u201cThis encourages me to maintain an inventory of boxes,\u201d Sims says.<\/p>\n

Devoting himself full-time to his craft has increased his productivity and improved efficiency, even when the pandemic slowed sales. \u201cI no longer have to make notes for refreshing my weekend memory on projects,\u201d Sims says. \u201cI find my woodworking helps in maintaining a calming peace of mind and refreshes me. I am an avid listener and supporter of local, listener-supported WNCW, which keeps me company in the shop.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sims exhibits at Number 7 Arts, a cooperative art gallery in Brevard. \u201cTom\u2019s work is a popular draw in the gallery in that many of our visitors stop to admire his pieces,\u201d says Jack Christfield, a photographer and fellow exhibiting artist at Number 7 Arts. \u201cI think Tom has done a number of custom commissions based on customers contacting him after seeing his work here at Number 7.\u201d<\/p>\n

Find Tom Sims\u2019 work at Number 7 Arts, 2 West Main Street, Brevard. Learn more at TomdWoodworking.com<\/a> and on Facebook<\/a> and Instagram<\/a> at Tom d. Woodworking.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cMy first woodworking interest was with Southwestern design,\u201d Sims says. \u201cOnce I visited the Grove Park Inn, I realized it was actually the Arts & Crafts movement designs that were calling me. I currently make the majority of my products in the Arts & Crafts style.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":43466,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[47,69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts","category-craft-arts"],"yoast_head":"\nFeature Artist: Tom Sims - The Laurel of Asheville<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u201cMy first woodworking interest was with Southwestern design,\u201d Sims says. \u201cOnce I visited the Grove Park Inn, I realized it was actually the Arts & Crafts movement designs that were calling me. 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