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Creative whimsy
is serious business
and size doesn’t count
Larry Godwin is a
popular citizen of Brundidge
by Fran Sharp
The
most interesting creature along U.S. Highway
231 South between Troy and
Brundidge is frequently a gigantic metal rooster or even a Trojan horse
sitting out front of the Art Wurks gallery; unless it’s Larry Godwin,
the artist and sculptor who runs the place.
Sure,
it’s an unusual site, an upscale gallery in the middle of a nowhere
field, but don’t call Larry Godwin or his gallery, “funky.”
He will chuckle a bit and allow to being a tad
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Larry Godwin’s sculptures, “lawyer pots” and abstract paintings fill Art
Wurks, his upscale gallery “in the middle of a nowhere field.”
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| curmudgeonly, somewhat eccentric, or maybe just a little strange, but call him funky and he bows up a little. “Someone writing about me called my work funky, and that didn’t sound very serious to me,” the Brundidge artist said. “My subjects are sometimes whimsical, but my work is serious.”
Larry’s sculpture materials are heavy bronze, copper, aluminum, concrete and range in size from “put it on the coffee table” to his first full-scale interpretation of the Wright Brothers’
1910 flier displayed at the Air Force Air University in Montgomery. Subsequent Wright fliers are on display in Daytona Beach, Florida and Dayton, Ohio. He is currently working on life-size models of Orville and Wilbur Wright to accompany the Dayton piece. His gallery is dotted with large abstract paintings and “lawyer pots,” which he says are his current delight.
Godwin’s
encounters with the civil court system and battles with lawyers led him
to turn frustration into art, he says, and he has created caricatures of
legal eagles that are in no way complimentary unless you consider the
passion that inspired the creations.
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| One,
“Hot Shot Lawyer” (photo at right) depicted as an aviator type,
holds a match to his behind as he prepares to blast off from a cannon.
Larry referred to the piece as an illustration of a lawyer’s “cannon
of ethics.” |
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“Hot Shot Lawyer,”
photo at right, is one of Godwin’s assortment of “lawyer pots” displayed in the gallery. The piece illustrates a lawyer’s “cannon of ethics,” according to Godwin. |
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Each
lawyer pot is replete with references to the contradictions of law and
justice as seen through Larry’s artistic eye and an absolute plethora
of puns. Strangely enough, Larry says, the pots are very popular with
lawyers. “I think they know themselves and appreciate the comments.”
His almost two-story Trojan horse was the featured float in a parade carrying Lady
Godiva, then the local jewelry retailer turned out in a body stocking,
her long blonde locks flowing to the horse’s back. Quite a sight for
Brundidge, Alabama, where the population is closer to the area code than
the zip code.
He once supervised the student construction of a school mascot from 1,400 pounds of chrome automobile bumpers from a local junkyard. This not only helped establish his presence as artist-in-residence during his early years, but also stood him in good stead with the local constabulary.
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Above, Orville Wright model in clay ready for the casting process.
Below, Orville’s shoe with its well-worn toe.
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In his trademark straw hat and clay spattered work clothes, Larry is a popular, albeit carefully observed, citizen of Brundidge. His contributions to the city’s expanding tourist industry include a large-scale mural at the Pioneer Museum of Pike County and numerous other works. A recently completed private commission is a bronze statue of the local bank’s founder, but most of Larry’s clients are those found in the world of mega-buck corporations such as Disney World, Hard Rock Café, European collectors, universities and museums. He frequently works with architects at the planning stage to incorporate his work as part of the overall construction. A seven panel bronze relief depicting the history of Montgomery is a wonderful example of this early planning and resides in the Retirement System of Alabama complex located in Montgomery.
An
interest in fountain technology led him to produce innovative works
throughout the United States and Europe. Larry’s feel for whimsy and
his sense of humor are incorporated into a fountain grouping at
Kindercare’s home office in Montgomery, where the playfulness and joy
of a child’s fantasy world never fails to bring a smile to
visitors.
His privacy, as well as his talent, is well respected by neighbors and friends. One close friend describes Larry Godwin as “someone who could be as famous as Michaelangelo if he would just be willing to do more commercial things. But he wants to do what he wants to do.” |
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What Larry wants to do is art. He accepts commissions as a matter of necessity (and popularity), but his heart is always creating something else at the same time.
Born into a pioneering Brundidge family during the Great Depression, Larry worked in the family business until college when he received his arts training at Auburn University with a Bachelor of Applied Arts degree in 1957. He opened his gallery after serving in the military. More study in Europe followed and in 1967 he completed his first large commission, a mural at the Gayle Planetarium in Montgomery.
Genetic talent in the Godwin family? Brother Ronald Godwin frequently works with Larry on large projects as well as creating works of his own. In addition to his Art Wurks gallery, Larry Godwin currently maintains a warehouse with overhead crane and other facilities for constructing and manipulating the monumental scale sculptures and fountains he favors. A foundry, lost wax casting center and other annexes bring the total workspace to more than 15,000 square feet.
Huge talent and a huge space filled with interesting characters, some for display, some not.
Art Wurks is located on U.S. 231 between Troy and Dothan and just south of Brundidge. Phone 334-735-2341 or
www.larrygodwin.com.
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