- My first woodworking experience happened as a child in picket county birds down Tennessee.

All the old timers carried a case Congress and they would whittle.

That was really special.

Just watching the shavings curl tightly and consistently.

It's kind of a zen-like meditation.

That's where I really caught the buck.

Hi, I'm Brad Sells.

I'm a wood sculptor and a furniture builder.

I reside in Cookville, Tennessee.

When people see my work, I, I hope they feel a connection to nature.

Our society has lost some of that.

I love the diversity and I love the, the science involved.

I mean, this is, you know, I'm working with something that, like me, has unique DNA.

It's always fascinating for me to find a new species of wood and try it.

A good part of my business caters to people that are loving of their trees, sentimental to their trees.

Kind of a standard in the art world is you get a question like, how long does it take you to produce that?

I'm 55 years old, so it's taken that long to make that piece, because there is an, an evolution there as, as a maker, it brings value to our lives.

I think a lot about function and aesthetic and beauty.

Those are forms of function, if you really think about it.

Those are things that we all need.

I mean, somehow they make life seem a little better.

You think about the Egyptians, what do you see?

You see the artwork they made.

It has meaning, and it, you know, we make art.

It's hard to fathom that that sculpture can be there for the next 2,500 years, but it can be, and I hope it is.