By Jim Hannaford

A small shop along a shady lane off Twin Beech Road is where Evans Davis is happy to spend most of his time. Other than playing music, there’s not much he’d rather be doing than finding new uses for old wood.

Many people in our area know him as one of the driving forces in a popular band called the Leavin’ Brothers. But that’s more of a side venture these days to his main gig, called Oakwood Art. Besides being a talented singer, songwriter, and guitarist, Evans is a skilled carpenter with decades of experience.

Using repurposed wood from old farmhouses and barns, he builds frames and shutters and custom furniture like tables, benches, headboards, and bookcases. He expresses himself even more artistically with the inventive sculptures he makes from driftwood he collects from beaches on the Eastern Shore.

There’s a steady flow of demand for Evans’ work, probably in part because his engaging and practical personality comes through in each of his one-of-a-kind constructions.

He isn’t sure why so many people are drawn to his rustic pieces, but he’s glad they are. Working mostly with wood from Lowndes County,  it gives him a direct link to his own family’s past. He loves sanding down old layers of paint to reveal the multiple faded hues underneath. He has the expertise to look at a weathered plank, window, or door and instantly know what kind of tree it came from and the time frame in which it was crafted.

“I like its history,” he says. “They did all this before electricity, so they had these steam-powered or mule-driven sawmills out in the middle of the woods in these communities, using the wood they had, which was mostly pine and cedar and a little oak.”

Evans knew from a young age that he wanted to play music, but his father urged him to learn a more conventional trade, too. With guidance from his cousins who were third-generation carpenters, he found his calling.

“I just took to it, and I’ve been doing it ever since,” he says.

After years of building and remodeling homes and businesses, Evans started branching out with more and more side projects. A significant shift in his approach occurred when his grandfather asked him to give a hand, tearing down an old barn on their family property. Besides giving him a trailer full of used building materials, the project provided loads of inspiration. In terms of trends, he was ahead of his time.

“This was several years ago, before this reclaimed, stressed wood got real hot,” he says.“Nowadays you even see it duplicated in the stuff you get from Home Depot and Walmart and places like that—but this is the real deal.”

His more artistic creations come about from strolls along the shore. He gathers eye-catching driftwood in different sizes and shapes and arranges them as visual representations of familiar wildlife. A shrimp, a seahorse, and various fish were early efforts. More recently, he’s been turning heads with a full-sized duck sculpture that suggests itself as some kind of abstract decoy. At first, he spotted the piece of wood that looked like a duck’s head, he says, so he scavenged for more that looked like feathers.

While his decorative objects are somewhat delicate, the more functional offerings from Oakwood Art are simple and sturdy. That’s part of the appeal, for both him and his customers.

“It’s solid, it’s tough and it’s durable,” Evans says. Revealing his characteristic humor, he adds, “I can throw it in the truck or throw it on the trailer, stack it up and go to an art show, and the more dents and scratches it gets, the more it’s worth.”

One of his larger projects is what he calls a “Rolling Home.” Having started its life as a boat trailer, it’s like a tiny house on wheels. He put down a floor, erected four walls, and decked it out with a full bath and kitchenette, a quiet window unit AC, and a small space heater. Measuring 8 by 14 feet, it could make for a nice guest house or temporary quarters, an art studio or man cave, or maybe even a hair salon, he says.

Something else Evans has built is a good life along the Eastern Shore, just as everyone else in his family has. His parents made the move to Fairhope in 1990 when his father, a beloved physician, decided he wanted to live near the water and took a job at Bay Medical Family Practice. With a doctorate in English, Evans’ mother, Dr. Margaret Haigler Davis, joined the faculty at Spring Hill College as an English professor. Evans followed them here, and his four younger brothers soon followed suit. Though Dr. Davis passed away in 2020, the others in the Davis family remain active and vital members of our community.

Almost 35 years after his arrival, Evans has truly carved out his niche in Fairhope, and he’s done it in several unique ways. He’s busy leaving a legacy, not just with his songs, but also his wooden works of art.