Ecclesiastical Products

Eddie Hamrick, through the Twisted Tree Studio and Gallery, is one of the country's most prominent designers and custom builders of liturgical furniture and ancillary products. Over the past two decades he has created finished products resembling works of art which are relevant to the congregation's expectations, functional needs, all within designated stewardship and the overall needs of the church.

Products include:

· Pulpits · Lecterns · Baptismals · Alters · Crucifixes · Body of Christ carvings · Lighting · Bookstands · Seating · Wall plaques · Plant stands · Raised floors · Columbariums · Stained glass · Carved doors

 

 

Following a philosophy of longevity, the artist creates furniture and furnishings for such environments, selecting the finest grade woods and most durable raw materials for structural or decorative component parts. Such is the case with Eddie Hamrick.

Influenced by the designs and choice of raw materials by masters of the past, the studio prefers such hardwoods as oak, walnut, cherry and maple, nature's gifts that have "stood the test of time." Instead of using less resilient traditional methods of painting and staining decorative and structural component parts, the artist uses inlaid exotic woods from around the world that are indigenously colored . Purple heart, windgy, paduke (in the orange family), king wood (in the yellow family) and holly (in the white family) are but a few examples. Church furnishings cross all denominational barriers and design periods . The studio's gothic, contemporary and modern designs have found their way into Catholic, Lutheran, Episcopalian, Presbyterian and Baptist churches in the greater Hickory area as well as the state of North Carolina.

 

Custom-made altars, baptismals, crucifixes, lecterns, bookstands as well as wall and memorial plaques grace the interior of First Presbyterian Church and St. John's Lutheran Church in Conover. The crucifix, embodiment of suffering and resurrection, is a favorite of the artist . His masterpiece can be found in the Lutheran Home Chapel on Springs Road in Hickory while St. John's is anxiously awaiting its sculpture of "Jesus on the Cross."

Designs for structural or decorative components either originate from within the studio, in cooperating with an architect or the customer itself. Examples of such cooperative work can be seen in the prosessional set and wood trimmings for Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Hickory. The prayer room at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church on Highway 127 is another case in point of a concept and design originally submitted by Wilber and Ruth Sebock. The studio complemented the room with a cross, kneeling bench and appropriate trim. The art of "period restoration" is an enviable, professional asset of any reputable studio and gallery. First Presbyterian Church, Hickory, built in the early 18th century, was in need of repair and restoration work for it's front doors originally built in 1895 by workman at the Biltmore House. Immaculately brought back to their original splendor, the trained eye easily recognizes the historic and sculptural ancestry of these doors.