Leland Brewsaugh
Encyclopedia
Leland Brewsaugh was a prolific sculptor
, designer
, and painter
.
He was a student of nature had a lifelong career painting birds and the landscapes of Florida
and North Carolina
. He was most known for his detailed life size carving birds in the swamps and marshes southeast.
Brewsaugh attended University of Florida
in the 1950s, but wanted something more artistic. He landed at the Ringling School of Art in Sarasota, where he obtained the foundation for what would be a lifelong love and career in art.
After college, he spent years as a freelance illustrator. During a stint as a contractor with a military agency he learned how to use blueprint
s to make detailed models, a skill critical for the lifelike sculptures he would create throughout the rest of his life.
He then moved into the role of architect
. He designed countless homes and business throughout Jacksonville where he lived with his wife and children.
As a hobbyist, Brewsaugh continued to experiment with painting, model making and creating detailed birds in basswood. Eventually, with encouragement from his wife, Elizabeth a potter, he decided to pursue his art full time.
Together, Elizabeth and Leland set out on the art show circuit winning awards and often selling out their entire inventories before the show closed. The success provided a large customer base then Brewsaugh was able to secure a space with a New York printer and his detailed bird prints were sold on a national scale. His popularity grew and soon dealers and private collectors took all of Brewsaugh's inventory before it was even created. At one point, he was sold out for two years.
Brewsaugh's career evolved and he was allowed the freedom to explore other mediums. He began painting outside his usual detailed bird paintings and completed a series of "working men." He focused on landscapes of Florida and North Carolina. Brewsaugh was a true designer at heart, he experimented in stained glass, Ikebana
flower arranging, other forms of abstract wood sculpture and an autobiographical series of sculptures based on the wooden mannequin used to teach art students how to draw.
Brewsaugh's elaborate carvings can be found in private collections across the world including the White House
. He has had over 50 prints on the market. He was an accomplished artist with a sense for design, color, light and space.
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
, designer
Designer
A designer is a person who designs. More formally, a designer is an agent that "specifies the structural properties of a design object". In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, such as consumer products, processes, laws, games and graphics, is referred to as a...
, and painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
.
He was a student of nature had a lifelong career painting birds and the landscapes of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. He was most known for his detailed life size carving birds in the swamps and marshes southeast.
Brewsaugh attended University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
in the 1950s, but wanted something more artistic. He landed at the Ringling School of Art in Sarasota, where he obtained the foundation for what would be a lifelong love and career in art.
After college, he spent years as a freelance illustrator. During a stint as a contractor with a military agency he learned how to use blueprint
Blueprint
A blueprint is a type of paper-based reproduction usually of a technical drawing, documenting an architecture or an engineering design. More generally, the term "blueprint" has come to be used to refer to any detailed plan....
s to make detailed models, a skill critical for the lifelike sculptures he would create throughout the rest of his life.
He then moved into the role of architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
. He designed countless homes and business throughout Jacksonville where he lived with his wife and children.
As a hobbyist, Brewsaugh continued to experiment with painting, model making and creating detailed birds in basswood. Eventually, with encouragement from his wife, Elizabeth a potter, he decided to pursue his art full time.
Together, Elizabeth and Leland set out on the art show circuit winning awards and often selling out their entire inventories before the show closed. The success provided a large customer base then Brewsaugh was able to secure a space with a New York printer and his detailed bird prints were sold on a national scale. His popularity grew and soon dealers and private collectors took all of Brewsaugh's inventory before it was even created. At one point, he was sold out for two years.
Brewsaugh's career evolved and he was allowed the freedom to explore other mediums. He began painting outside his usual detailed bird paintings and completed a series of "working men." He focused on landscapes of Florida and North Carolina. Brewsaugh was a true designer at heart, he experimented in stained glass, Ikebana
Ikebana
is the Japanese art of flower arrangement, also known as .-Etymology:"Ikebana" is from the Japanese and . Possible translations include "giving life to flowers" and "arranging flowers".- Approach :...
flower arranging, other forms of abstract wood sculpture and an autobiographical series of sculptures based on the wooden mannequin used to teach art students how to draw.
Brewsaugh's elaborate carvings can be found in private collections across the world including the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
. He has had over 50 prints on the market. He was an accomplished artist with a sense for design, color, light and space.