Foley Community Library Sculptural Reading Tree
From Raw Foam to an Immersive Children's Library Sculpture
Created for the children's section of the new Foley Community Library in Foley, Alabama, this custom sculptural reading tree extends Banks Compton's storybook-inspired murals beyond the walls and into three-dimensional space.
Banks designed and fabricated the tree from the ground up, documenting the process from raw foam and sculpting through installation, plaster coating, detailing, and final painting.
The finished tree serves as a centerpiece within the children's library, helping transform the space into an immersive environment centered around reading, imagination, and discovery.
Project at a Glance
Client: Foley Community Library
Location: Foley, Alabama
Project: Custom Sculptural Reading Tree
Completed: 2026
Medium: Foam, Plaster & Paint
Application: Children's Library / Educational Environment
Process: Sculpting, Fabrication, Installation & Hand Painting
Sculpting the Tree
The project began with large blocks of foam that Banks carved and shaped by hand, gradually transforming the material into the organic form of a tree.
Working three-dimensionally required considering the sculpture from every direction—not simply how it would photograph from the front, but how children and families would experience the form as they moved around the library.
This stage established the tree's trunk, roots, contours, and overall character before the individual components were transported and installed inside the building.
Installation & Plaster
After the sculpted foam components were installed in the children's library, the form was covered with sheetrock plaster, creating a continuous textured surface over the underlying sculpture.
Additional sculpting and finishing refined the bark, transitions, and organic contours before the surface was prepared for paint.
Documenting each stage of the process reveals how dramatically the piece changed—from recognizable blocks of carved foam into an architectural sculpture that appears to grow from the library itself.
Bringing the Tree to Life with Paint
The final stage was painting.
Layers of color, highlights, shadows, and organic details were added by hand to emphasize the sculpted texture and visually connect the tree with the surrounding murals.
Rather than treating the sculpture and murals as separate artworks, Banks designed them as parts of the same immersive storybook environment. The three-dimensional tree brings imagery from the walls physically into the room.
inspired by Large-Scale Fabrication
The reading tree draws directly from Banks' background working as a large-scale artist building Mardi Gras floats in New Orleans.
That experience introduced him to creating oversized sculptural forms from lightweight materials and thinking about artwork as an environment rather than only a flat image.
Today, Banks brings those fabrication skills into murals, public art, educational spaces, and custom sculptural projects—combining painting, sculpture, fabrication, and storytelling when a project calls for something beyond a traditional wall.
Part of the Foley Community Library
The reading tree was created alongside approximately 1,500 square feet of murals Banks painted throughout the children's library and entrance.
Together, the murals and sculpture surround young visitors with animals, landscapes, books, and imaginative details. The library itself uses the children's area for story times, art workshops, free-build activities, crafts, and other programming, making the sculpture part of an active environment designed for children and families.
EXPLORE THE FOLEY COMMUNITY LIBRARY MURAL PROJECT →
Custom Sculpture & Fabrication by Banks Compton
Banks' work extends beyond murals into sculpture, papier-mâché, fabrication, wearable art, interactive installations, and immersive environments.
The Foley reading tree demonstrates how those skills can be incorporated into a permanent interior project—allowing a mural concept to move beyond the wall and become a physical part of the space.