His Eye Is on the Sparrow

Gifted with a gentle spirit, a joyful heart, and an eye for detail, Dr. Jimmy McClary repurposes his skills to carve out a perch for his creations on the shelves of collectors.

In the sunlight shining through the doorway of his backyard workshop, the block of wood in Jimmy McClary’s hand might have been pulled from a toy box. It is recognizable as a bird only in the most simplistic way, much like a child’s wooden toy might resemble the basic silhouette of an elephant, or pig, or cow. But unlike a toy, this block will soon come to life in the hands of the artistic man holding it aloft.

He’s Dr. McClary to a couple of generations of Summerville residents who found themselves in his chair, opening wide for the gentle man whose calm voice made a trip to the dentist a lot less scary for kids, and a downright pleasurable experience for grownups. But he’s Jimmy to his friends; a group that includes pretty much anyone who has ever met him.

After serving in the Army, McClary settled in Summerville with his wife, Susan, and their two children, Jim and Carolyn. Graduating from MUSC’s School of Dentistry, he set up Pineland Dental, the practice where he shaped smiles for almost 40 years. It has been close to ten years since enamel was the medium for the tools his deft hands shaped and sculpted. His son, Dr. Jim McClary, now runs the practice, continuing the family tradition and freeing up the senior McClary to take his skills in a direction that long piqued his interest.

“I really got interested in carving birds years ago, probably the first year that I went to SEWE and saw the work of the world-class carvers there,” he says, his hands instinctively moving a high speed rotary tool over the block of wood. “It fascinated me, and I thought, ‘huh, I might be able to do that.’ I never took any lessons; just taught myself.”

The sawdust flies, and as he speaks, the rounded breast of a chickadee begins to emerge. Almost unconsciously, he shapes the head and tail. In this early stage, the carving is almost an impressionistic representation, and beautiful in its own way even before the meticulous detailing that he will add later. McClary says that an average sized bird like one of the cardinals or the small falcon on his table will take him about three months to complete. The large raptor on the worktable is a work in progress.

“This is actually three pieces of wood,” he explains. “I start at the top and work my way down. When I put in the eyes, it starts to feel more real. From that point on, it’s not just a piece of wood to me anymore.”

Each of the hundreds of feathers, the proportions, and attitude of the bird’s pose will add to its lifelike appearance. With a steady hand and limitless patience, each feather is formed with a wood burning tool before being painted in a small room off the workshop. In the Bible, the book of Psalms tells us that God knows every bird on the mountains, and it is plain to see that McClary has been gifted with the ability to see and recreate every tiny detail of the Lord’s feathered friends. On several levels, that comes as no surprise to Fr. Tripp Jeffords, rector and lead pastor of St. Paul’s Summerville, where McClary is an active member, and a vital part of the spiritual life of the church and the community. He describes McClary as a loyal friend and parishioner who is active in its men’s ministries, Bible studies, and mission work, and is generous with his time and talents. “Anytime someone asks Jimmy to use his gift of woodworking in or around the church, he does so with a joyful servant’s heart,” says Fr. Jeffords. “From the day I met him, I could tell that he was a special man. He loves the Lord and has a constant desire to know Jesus more fully. He has such a warm, inviting aura about him. People are drawn to his kind spirit and his winsome personality.”

McClary’s good friends Dr. Otis Engelman and his wife, Debbie, have had the opportunity to travel to Haiti with him many times with their annual medical outreach ministry. Working alongside him, they have witnessed firsthand his deep faith and dedication to others.

“I often refer to him as the ‘Energizer Bunny’, says Debbie. “On one of our mission trips, he revealed that he had pulled more teeth in that week than in his entire career combined—and he had the blisters to prove it. He is full of talent, integrity, and humility, and lives out his life sharing the many talents gifted to him.”

Otis agrees. “He’s always been an athlete: a college cheerleader, golfer, boater, sailor, and skier. He’s also incredibly artistic. I’m incredibly proud to own one of his pieces. Dentistry requires a demonstration of skill and dexterity, and Jimmy applies those skills to his carving, and to every aspect of his life,” adding, with a laugh, “You should see his lawn!”

The McClarys enjoy traveling and experiencing the different cultures of the world. On one such trip, he came across a piece of scrimshaw, a walrus tooth with a scene etched deep into its surface. Captivated by the intricacies of the art form originally created by American whalers from baleen or whale ivory, McClary set out to teach himself the technique. He was a natural, scratching a maritime scene onto a piece of bone, then rubbing the image with India ink. His most recent creation features images of the Big Five, captured on an antique hippopotamus tusk and commemorating a recent trip to the Dark Continent. Though the pieces he donates to St. Paul’s Tearoom Gift Shop have always been a success at the church’s fundraising event, where he incidentally serves as a busboy, as humble as he is gifted, McClary still can’t quite believe people want to buy and collect his artwork. But the popularity of his work on display at Summerville’s Antiques and Artisans indicate that his following increases with every new piece.

“Jimmy is a devout Christian, devoted husband, father, and grandfather and dear friend. I truly believe he can do anything he sets his mind or heart to do,” Debbie Engelman says of McClary. “He just keeps going, and going, and going…”

McClary looks around the spotless workshop where he is carving out a second act for himself, still using his skills to make people smile, but for a different reason. “I feel like in a lot of ways, I’m just doing what I’ve done all my life.”

“His eye is on the sparrow, and he watches over me.” So promise the lyrics of a timeless hymn of faith. Surely the Lord has his eye on Dr. Jimmy McClary, and he couldn’t be more proud of what he sees.

The details of McClary's carvings are astoundingly intricate.

Scrimshaw on a whale tooth is an ancient practice that McClary does well.

Jimmy McClary pauses from his ever-growing list of creative tasks.

The beginnings of future works of art.

The master at work, slowly working the wood to reveal the creation to come.