Godfrey Denny sculpts wood in
For some 20 years, Godfrey Denny has been producing works of art from pieces of wood. The sculptor, who is better known as ‘Jesse’, creates abstract and realistic compositions but specializes in realistic carvings as there is a bigger market for them.
Among the figures he has carved are Bob Marley, Mahatma Gandhi, washer women, drummers, guitarists, and animals. Some are from his inspiration, while others are ordered by clients. Jesse also sculpts relief pieces, which are not three dimensional. These are designed in such a way that the fronts are carved and
Godfrey Denny the backs are flat which Jesse also makes and allow for them to be hung sells jewelry and does on walls. construction tiling whenever the opportunity presents itself as the sale of his sculptures does not provide enough of an income. He also sells USB cables and chargers.
Before he began sculpting, Jesse worked in the interior as a gold miner and whenever he was back in the city, he did construction work. A little over 20 years ago, a tree fell on him while he was working in the interior, breaking both his legs. He also sustained other injuries which resulted in him being hospitalized for more than a year. It was following his recovery that Jesse began visiting a cousin who is a sculptor. Having an eye for art, he easily caught on and subsequently took up sculpting.
Jesse noted that he has
other family members who also like working with their hands. One brother who lives in the US is also a sculptor, while another brother here is a cobbler.
At present Jesse is working on an order of three sculptures for a client inclusive of a frog and a lion. He has also received an order from a woman residing in the US, to make a black panther. All his pieces, Jesse said, require a downpayment before he begins carving. He does this to avoid putting his time and effort into creating a piece and then not having the client show up to collect it.
When Jesse has time on his hands and extra wood,
he uses his imagination to create his art. Once, he said, he did a carving of the Arapaima, one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. Someone who was impressed with his work, encouraged him to take the sculpture to the Ministry of Agriculture; this was during the previous administration.
“I take it in to them. These people actually chase me out the place. I say, ‘man I would love for the minister to see this work. I would leave it and leave my number and let the minister see if they want it and if not y’all can call me and ah gon come and pick it up back’. They said, ‘no we ain’t got space
to keep this’” he recounted.
Jesse related that he took his porkknocker sculpture to the then Ministry of Natural Resources as well and was sent away in similar fashion. “We speaking about this long now,” he said. “I think they should do something for all the artists so when tourists come, they can learn about the culture. [President] Burnham used to do it. People and friends would come and see me on the pave and
ask, ‘What you doing here?’ There is no proper place for us. When the rain fall, I got to cover up meh things.”
He added that on several occasions the Mayor and City Council tried to remove him from the spot