About

About The Artist

Tom Benedict stands next to a large, gnarled ancient tree in a rugged, rocky outdoor landscape with hills in the background.

        Tom Benedict is a Montana artist and adventurer whose work is fueled by years spent exploring Montana’s wild places, mountain peaks and river bottoms. Tom began working with juniper wood in 2011 as a way to bring new life to the long-dead trees harvested from properties throughout Western Montana. Since then, he has crafted these trees into functional and decorative works of art. His work can be seen in public outdoor spaces, businesses, galleries and homes throughout the Mountain West.

About the Wood

My sculptures are made from Rocky Mountain Juniper wood collected personally in Montana. Rocky Mountain Junipers are some of the worlds’ oldest trees. The ones that live their lives in the harshest conditions grow gnarled and twisted as they age. By the time I get to them, they are gray, weathered, and dead, but usually still standing. Juniper wood contains natural rot and insect resistant resins, enabling the dead wood to last for centuries.

A rugged, gnarled juniper tree with green foliage growing on a rocky hillside, overlooking a vast mountain valley under a clear blue sky.

      The oldest known living Rocky Mountain Juniper tree is around 1,500 years old and counting. The specimens I use are long dead and likely lived for well over 500 years before succumbing to the elements. A tree is aged by counting the annual growth rings.The most rings I have ever counted in one of my sculptures is 940, and it was an incomplete count (some of the slab was missing).

A close-up of a gnarled, dead juniper tree trunk in a rocky, grassy mountain landscape under a clear blue sky.

       I only harvest dead wood for my work. Some of the trees I collect have been dead for hundreds of years. The textures and weathering of the wood is a key feature of my pieces. Additionally, I have no interest in ending the life of an old growth tree for the sake of my artwork. The living trees are already perfect works of natural art.

A natural sculptural wooden art piece resembling twisted tree roots or branches, mounted on a natural wood base. photographed against a light gray studio background.

        From the field, the wood is cleaned and processed using a power washer and various bark removal tools. This removes the dirt and debris coating the wood and reveals the grain pattern beneath. To create my sculptures, I remove much of the original exterior wood, exposing the tree's inner core. Guided by the natural shape of the piece, I exaggerate many of the tree's existing features. The contrasting black coloration is added using a torch.