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Local artist finds beauty in discarded pieces

By MICK WATTS
Traveler Staff Writer

Bob Brown has the rugged appearance of one who doesn't care much for what others think. He speaks his mind and expresses himself through his craft. He is an artist.

Brown. a wood turner and lathe artist, looks for the hidden shapes in wood he finds at the burn pit on F Street in Arkansas City. His wood shop and artist's studio, located on 61st Street, is where he "finds the wood's character."

He rescues segments of discarded trees from the dump, and finds the shapes hidden in them. He says that often using secondary species like box elder, Siberian elm, silver maple and locust will yield the most interesting textures and grains.

Brown, an Ark City mid-'60s graduate, returned to the area several years ago to be with his elderly parents.

At 60, he has retired from a career in the restaurant business and has "come home" to pursue his true passion.

With his parents both gone, Brown lives in the family home. He has improved the place a bit and works in his father's old work space, now a first-rate wood shop and studio situated behind the house.

Brown honed his skill emulating his father's hobby of carving wooden duck decoys. His father was known locally for his fine woodworking skills. Somewhere along the line, Brown's decoy carving gave way to an almost spiritual affinity for the shapes, grains and textures that lie hidden in wood.

Membership in wood turning clubs and attending seminars led Brown to his own style and individualistic attitude. He transitioned from the craftsman-like approach promoted by wood turning clubs, into the realm of fine art.

There is no elitist posturing in his approach, he just feels that there is more to the work than creating functional wooden bowls and containers. That is not to say that his pieces are not functional.

He uses many of his creations for everyday chores, but the focus of his work is to "go by what the wood says." Sometimes that means creating something functional, and sometimes that means creating something more esoteric.

Brown began wood turning on a 1940s-era Craftsman lathe, but now uses a more modern Stubby lathe. He also enjoys the feel of old-fashioned wood carving tools and shared the observation that there is nothing like the sensation of working wood with a draw knife.

Most of the wood Brown uses is rescued from the burn pit in Ark City -- material that is salvaged, recycled and put to good use. Often it is the throw away, or secondary species that offer up the most interesting textures and grains, but he also enjoys working with oak, pecan and walnut.

Some of the finishes that he applies to his work are conventional and some aren't. Everything from commonly used wood stains and waxes to Ritz food dyes and chlorine bleach can become part of the finishing process.

"My job is to find the wood's character," said Brown. This motto serves as his "statement of intent.'

Wood turning is a solitary and reclusive endeavor. Brown enjoys his solitude and the peacefulness that comes from working with his hands.

His two dogs sometimes keep him company in his work studio.

With a fire in the wood stove and classic pop music playing in the background, it certainly is not a bad place to be.

Above: Bob Brown in his studio shows a bowl he carved. He used wood from limbs and trees at the burn pit.