A wonderful chat with an artist friend (four decades younger) in Kenya yesterday, and a local trip last weekend have me thinking about one of my mentors this morning.
A small group of my friends visited the studio and woods at the home of Charlie Brouwer, a professor who guided me when I was an art student at Radford University, thirty-five years ago. He’s been making sculptures out of wood for longer. He and his lovely spouse (and high school sweetheart), Glenda, long ago settled into their farmhouse in forested getaway a few miles “off the hardtop,” as they say in these parts. He built a studio, they established gardens, and discovered trails on the old homestead. He slowly began placing his works along them, forming a sculpture park which they christened “Out There.”
It’s an absolute delight. The sculptures are seamlessly integrated into the peaceful woodland setting. Light tones of stain on the mostly locust-wood pieces are further softened by weathering, dappled sunlight, and in some cases, moss. All are sensitively placed, in clearings, adjacent streams, or nestled within the company of their leafy relatives.
Charlie’s works are evocative and thoughtful, at times playful, they often exude a quiet joy. They’re always poetic and gently inspiring, much like their creator. They’ve set it up with a simple map with numbers that identify the works, so visitors can wander the grounds at their own pace. We were given the added bonus of Charlie walking much of the woods with us, and so able to glean in-depth backstories about many works, the former owner of the homestead, and the land itself.
The direction my own art work took (abstract paintings) might seem to have little in common with Charlie’s mostly figurative, metaphoric, additive wooden sculptures. But to me this dosn’t reflect a lack of influence (and in some ways I feel highlights his skill as a teacher, encouraging his students to find their own path rather than emulating his).
There’s a quiet yet vital presence to Charlie’s art, a reflection of his character. I’ve always been intrigued by and attracted to people who leave a memorable impression without calling attention to themselves; those soft-spoken folks who, with a few words get us reflecting more than those who loudly proclaim their views. I love that Charlie has never been afraid to share art that makes him (and us) smile, without ever embracing the sarcasm or cynicism so prevalent in the “art world,” or our society in general. He’s also touched upon despair and loneliness (he once did a series of works related to a trip in Poland and the Nazi death camps) and yet through all his carefully crafted works, his belief in the light within humanity shines.
We both have a great love of the non-human built world, and share appreciation of Thoreau, Teilhard de Chardin, Rachel Carson, Mary Oliver, John O Donahue, and many other writers who recognize a more fully integrated relationship of humans within the earth’s wonders. Charlie’s integrity, and his profound desire to find and share beauty have deeply affect my own work and life. I’m so very grateful our paths crossed all those years ago.
I encourage anyone to make the trip “Out There” for a calming, vitalizing refresher from our frenetic world. He and Glenda welcome visits by individuals or groups, just contact ahead to schedule a time.
PS Charlie also has several works now on view outdoors at the Berglund Civic Center Plaza, near downtown Roanoke.
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A small group of my friends visited the studio and woods at the home of Charlie Brouwer, a professor who guided me when I was an art student at Radford University, thirty-five years ago. He’s been making sculptures out of wood for longer. He and his lovely spouse (and high school sweetheart), Glenda, long ago settled into their farmhouse in forested getaway a few miles “off the hardtop,” as they say in these parts. He built a studio, they established gardens, and discovered trails on the old homestead. He slowly began placing his works along them, forming a sculpture park which they christened “Out There.”
It’s an absolute delight. The sculptures are seamlessly integrated into the peaceful woodland setting. Light tones of stain on the mostly locust-wood pieces are further softened by weathering, dappled sunlight, and in some cases, moss. All are sensitively placed, in clearings, adjacent streams, or nestled within the company of their leafy relatives.
Charlie’s works are evocative and thoughtful, at times playful, they often exude a quiet joy. They’re always poetic and gently inspiring, much like their creator. They’ve set it up with a simple map with numbers that identify the works, so visitors can wander the grounds at their own pace. We were given the added bonus of Charlie walking much of the woods with us, and so able to glean in-depth backstories about many works, the former owner of the homestead, and the land itself.
The direction my own art work took (abstract paintings) might seem to have little in common with Charlie’s mostly figurative, metaphoric, additive wooden sculptures. But to me this dosn’t reflect a lack of influence (and in some ways I feel highlights his skill as a teacher, encouraging his students to find their own path rather than emulating his).
There’s a quiet yet vital presence to Charlie’s art, a reflection of his character. I’ve always been intrigued by and attracted to people who leave a memorable impression without calling attention to themselves; those soft-spoken folks who, with a few words get us reflecting more than those who loudly proclaim their views. I love that Charlie has never been afraid to share art that makes him (and us) smile, without ever embracing the sarcasm or cynicism so prevalent in the “art world,” or our society in general. He’s also touched upon despair and loneliness (he once did a series of works related to a trip in Poland and the Nazi death camps) and yet through all his carefully crafted works, his belief in the light within humanity shines.
We both have a great love of the non-human built world, and share appreciation of Thoreau, Teilhard de Chardin, Rachel Carson, Mary Oliver, John O Donahue, and many other writers who recognize a more fully integrated relationship of humans within the earth’s wonders. Charlie’s integrity, and his profound desire to find and share beauty have deeply affect my own work and life. I’m so very grateful our paths crossed all those years ago.
I encourage anyone to make the trip “Out There” for a calming, vitalizing refresher from our frenetic world. He and Glenda welcome visits by individuals or groups, just contact ahead to schedule a time.
PS Charlie also has several works now on view outdoors at the Berglund Civic Center Plaza, near downtown Roanoke.
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