Published Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Local couple's art has 'story to tell'

The Times-Herald

Those who know Chuck and Deborah Kidwell are no doubt curious how so much talent can fit under one roof.

Of course, the yellow Cape Cod is "much more house than we need," Deborah said.

The couple bought the house two years ago when they moved to Newnan to be nearer to Chuck's mom and sisters. It was smoke-and-water damaged and had been vandalized, but they saw the charm in it and -- with a little sweat and care -- have created a cozy home for themselves, their friendly Golden Retriever, Butternut, and a very precocious kitten Deborah lovingly calls "Mouse."

And it doesn't hurt that the home has a spacious in-law suite the pair gutted to create an in-house art studio.

Though their specialties differ -- Chuck is a woodcarver and sculptor while Deborah works two-dimensionally -- each enjoys creating works that leaves viewers wondering about the story behind them.

Chuck was in his early 20s vacationing in the Smoky Mountains near Gatlinburg, Tenn., when he discovered a woodcarver's gallery.

"I guess I had a 'Voila!' moment," he recalled.

He bought three tools, went home to Pensacola, Fla., cut down a tree and got to work. Since then, he's learned by doing. He works exclusively with hand tools, and enjoys blending realistic detail with whimsy, history with individual personalities.

"He's never happier than when he's just carefully rendering something. He just seems to meld with the wood," Deborah said.

Most of his works are busts of people he's met or seen in photographs. His current job as a "wax chaser" with Inferno Art Foundry has expanded his artistic horizons.

"He would sit at his lunch break and play with the pieces of wax," Deborah said.

Before long, he was creating figures as one would out of clay -- an additive style of sculpting, which contrasted with the subtractive style he'd become accustomed to as a carver. One of his newer works he had cast in bronze is a mouse wearing a raisin box as a backpack.

Chuck's next project may be the biggest he's ever tackled in more ways than one. A section of his driveway is occupied by two large sections of tree -- sections from the ancient oaks recently removed from Newnan's downtown square.

Though they've only lived in Newnan a short time, the Kidwells have discovered a good deal about the city's past -- including its designation as a hospital town during the Civil War, which kept the historic buildings from being burned down at the time.

The pair hopes to create a commemorative statue, but instead of the expected "soldier with rifle," they're considering a life-size carving of a nurse tending to a soldier.

"We want to commemorate the healing," Deborah said.

Deborah has been researching documents written by a nurse in Newnan during that era.

Though she's excited about her husband's work, she has bragging rights all her own.

Deborah's artistic talent was apparent early-on. After high school, she was encouraged to wait before deciding on a college and was given the opportunity to travel overseas. She visited Paris and Rome, and even went as far as Casablanca, experiencing art on a whole new level.

She earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in painting from the University of New Hampshire, and has spent her time since working in areas that interested her -- children's theater, graphic design, teaching and of course, creating her own works.

She spent nearly a year as an artist-in-residence at a mental hospital in the Northeast, creating powerful sketches and renderings of the patients. The opportunity was ironic. Having grown up in New England, she was in search of "winter landscapes" to capture on canvas, and found the beauty and "colors of white" she sought in the harsh white hallways, linens, hair and clothing of many of the hospital's patients.

Her favorite medium is pastels, which she uses to create small images that interest her. She's done a series of scarecrow drawings that, for her, hold deeper meanings tied to her strong Christian faith, as well as a series of renderings featuring antique toys, one of which recently won "Best of Show" at the Appalachian Pastel Society's national competition.

The piece, "Journeymate," depicted a small, tattered boy doll sitting atop a toy Noah's Ark. The doll -- which Deborah affectionately calls "Broken Boy" -- appears in several of her works.

Deborah was surprised to find her small drawing had been chosen over a myriad of breathtakingly detailed works. When she inquired, an intrigued judge told her the piece had a mood and voice of its own.

Deborah teaches art classes at Newnan's The Vintage Flea. Chuck's work is shown at Tyrone's "Dogwood Gallery," and the Wickwire Gallery in Hendersonville, N.C., which also recently expressed interest in showing Deborah's work as well. Both are members of the Newnan-Coweta Art Association.