Woodcarver's self-taught
Our national symbol is the bald eagle and around July 4th we usually think more about the flag and other patriotic symbols.
Buddy Isley does more than just think about them. He didn't set out to carve an eagle like the national symbol. His interpretation is an eagle at rest with its head tucked down; he calls it "Peace." A few years ago the eagle and some of his other woodcarvings were on display at the Greensboro Public Library.
His bust of George Washington is carved from walnut; Isley estimates the wood to be at least 100 years old. He says the old wood doesn't crack when carved, which sometimes happens with newer wood. Redwood was used for the bust of Abraham Lincoln.
Perhaps watching his father work with wood influenced Buddy to take up carving. His dad was a carpenter and once he needed a rounded piece of wood for a project. After soaking the wood for a few days, he tied it between some trees to form the shape he wanted and let it dry. It worked perfectly for his project. Isley followed in his father's footsteps and worked as a carpenter for many years.
Or perhaps carving soap at school influenced his decision. Whatever the reason, he decided to try carving wood several years ago. He's never had a lesson and just looks at the wood to get an idea of what to carve. Sometimes he says he just gets a feeling of what the wood should be. He always tries to incorporate the grain of the wood into his carving.
One of his first projects was to make a wooden scrapbook cover for the Woman's Missionary Union at Summerfield First Baptist Church, at the request of Marietta Thore. He carved the initials WMU and several WMU symbols on the cover. The scrapbook now holds a place of honor in the Heritage Room of the church.
He enjoys hunting rocks and gems and polishing the stones. He also has a small collection of arrowheads and other American Indian artifacts he has found.
History, especially Summerfield history, also brings him much pleasure.
He's had a history exhibit at every Founders Day since the first one in 1996.
The old adding machine, which was used in the Brittain Store in earlier days, was rescued by Isley. The machine is now displayed in the Summerfield Town Hall.
His collection of tools includes a lot of small chisels and many different types and sizes of knives. He needs all of them to carve tiny details, such as hair and feathers. He uses the knots in the wood or natural cracks or other imperfections to enhance the carving. On a walking stick, a knot became the nose and mouth of a bear.
He uses no stains on the wood, just sealer so the natural color of the wood can be seen.
Isley keeps an eye out for wood he can use wherever he goes. One day while doing some work on Jack Claybrook's house, he saw a rather small walnut tree that had died.
He told Claybrook he'd like to have a piece of the wood, and Claybrook said, "Take the whole tree."
When they were taking up the railroad tracks through Summerfield, Isley asked for some railroad ties. He used part of one of the ties, probably more than 100 years old, to carve the head of a Native American. The feather is carved from the same piece of wood, not carved separately and attached.
Another one of his projects was in the children's department of First Baptist Church. When Thore was the leader of Mission Friends, she asked Isley if he could build a small church that the children could play in.
He built one complete with a small steeple and the children enjoyed taking their chairs and dolls and sitting inside the little church.
His woodcarvings and other projects give pleasure to many people, young and old alike.
Gladys Scarlette is a local historian and a lifelong resident of Summerfield.
