The Art of the Tree
As poet Joyce Kilmer once wrote, “ only God can make a tree.” But Bill Webb sure
makes a beautiful reproduction of one.
“In the 1960’ s we had a townhome with a small patio,” remembers Webb, “And I just
had a vision of making a seven-foot tall metal tree for it.”
Webb, a native Houstonian, graduated from Reagan High School and joined the U.S.
Coast Guard, where he learned acetylene and oxygen welding, before spending more than
two decades as an insurance safety inspector. His love of trees came from his childhood
spent hunting in the wooded areas of south and central Texas with his father. So when he
wanted a tree on his patio, he decided to make one from metal.
“I started by making a two-foot model,” he says. Which was as far as he got. “I realized
there was too much work involved to make a life-sized metal tree.”
Webb still has that first tree he made, and over the following forty-plus years he’ s
continued to make these beautiful little metal sculptures, each with delicate branches,
leaves and even the occasional tiny possum nestled in a knot hole. His signature is a
miniature bird’ s nest with two small brass eggs. The trees are so life like it’ s like having a
bonsai tree you don’ t have to water.
And the amazing thing is that he creates them from memory. “I don’ t work from photographs or sketches,” Webb says. “I tried but I can’ t sketch a tree. I can’ t make a tree with paper but I can with a torch.”
And while the original inspiration may be a tree he’ s seen, like ones damaged after
Hurricane Ike, the sculptures soon take on a life of their own.
“I develop them as I go,” Webb says. “If I feel like putting a knot hole here, I do.
Welding is therapy for me, and sometimes I loose track of track and they just keep
growing.”
Webb begins with 25 to 30 1/6th inch steel rods, about 12 inches long. He welds the
bottom together then heats the rods so he can shape the trunk and begin twisting the ends
into branches. He fuses copper onto some of the branches and creates roots that will be
bolted onto a base, usually an unusual shaped stone he’ s found or a tree stump.
Most of the trees are a little over a foot tall, perfect for a table sculpture, although some
are shorter as they look windblown, leaning almost sideways. The welding process takes
about 35 to 45 hours.
“Although I did a commission once that was two windblown trees that were five-feet
tall,” Webb says. “ I started in January and didn’ t finish that one until June. That didn’ t
work out too well for me.”
Webb says his metal trees are a full-time hobby. He works out of his home in Upper
Kirby that he shares with Billie, his wife of 54 years, whose artistic bend tends toward making
jewelry. The pair have traveled to art shows and fairs around Texas and Webb has shown
his metal trees at galleries as far as New Mexico. Currently, you can find these welded
works of art in Rockport, Texas at the popular Latitude 28-02 restaurant and art gallery.
So next time you’ re at the coast, stop in, grab a drink from the bar and wander through
the gallery to see some of these amazing metal trees.
Bill Webb’s Metal Trees
www.billwebbmetaltrees.com
Phone: 713-522-9026
Cell: 713-819-2294
Mail: Bill Webb , 2232 North Blvd. , Houston, Texas 77098