Following his graduation from high school and initial studies in economics at Western Washington University, art still wasn’t in the forefront of his mind.
   But when he attempted to get out of some humanities courses, he opted to take some art courses to fill the gap. He discovered that he really enjoyed art, enough so that he minored in it.
   “I took basic drawing classes, design classes, even a jewelry class that I did my best work in,” said Rex, who lives in LaCenter Wash., but has worked in Cannon Beach for more than five years. “I found the art classes to be the part of academia I enjoyed the most.”

   Still, he didn’t dabble much in the art world, opting instead to make a living with his economics degree. He worked in sales for Crown Zellerback for more than a decade, then owned and operated a Dairy Queen restaurant in Boise, Idaho for another decade. Along the way he married, had four children, and divorced.
   Rex decided he wanted out of the burger/ice cream business and went back to school to get a degree in finance. Nearly completing coursework for another degree — this one in finance — he couldn’t get the classes he needed to finish to work in his schedule. So he took art classes instead and gave up on the finance courses.

   He got a tuition waiver from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill., and earned his MFA.  Then things got really interesting.
   He was a graduate assistant there and in charge of a design studio, which happened to be a  woodworking shop.  “I had access to great equipment,” recalled Rex. “It was very convenient, and really easy for  me.”
   He felt drawn to wood sculpture, saying he’s “wired” for it.
   “I think everyone has abilities in one area or another,” he explained. “I’m more inclined to sculpt than to write or be an office director.”

   From NIU, Rex was asked to teach sculpture at Loyola University in Chicago. He was chosen as a Fulbright Scholar and went to Hazelton, British Colombia, where he spent a year with the  Getsan Indians in Ksan. It was there he learned the art of joinery.
   “It’s really why I chose to go to Canada,” said Rex, 61. “There are lots of primitive ideas there  that I really wanted to learn.”
   However he marries the primitive concepts of joinery with modern glues and wires to create his sculptures, most of which are created from whatever construction grade lumber is available in the area.

   Rex is inspired by nature or human nature, which he says is probably the same thing. He gets an  idea then attempts to render the idea or feeling with a sketch. Then he explores ways to render the form. Most times it’s using joinery of some sort, which means joining pieces of wood and/or other materials to form an object.
   He says he’s no expert on wood and would rather use what’s readily available than search for a  precise piece of wood. That means he’s usually working with construction grade 2x4s or 2x6s. His pieces are generally either light and airy, or very heavy. A recent piece, which is created by compiling and accumulating components, is 300-400 pounds.
   The work keeps him in good physical shape. And it’s the physical aspect of his work that he says is the hardest.

    “Once I get an idea and figure out the process, then it’s the day-to-day routine of completing it.  That’s just labor,” he explained. “The last 5 percent of the production is very important and interesting, but the gap in there is just plain work.”
   And it doesn’t always work. If the likes the components, but doesn’t like how they’ve gone together, he’ll tear something apart then rearrange until he gets the feeling he wants. There’s no burn pit in Rex’s backyard, so it’s try, try again for the grandfather of six. One piece, Skamania,  was done three times before Rex felt the elements were combined in the way he wanted.
   “I really liked the elements, but the form didn’t convey what I wanted,” he said. “It does now. Actually, it turned out better than I expected.”

   His school-year work meant he had summers free. And his time in Canada convinced him he didn’t want to return to Chicago. When he was still with Crown Zellerback, Rex had purchased land in LaCenter, Wash., so in 1996 he started building a house and studio. He took various summer jobs, including one at the Valley Bronze foundry in Joseph.
   “They were really very gracious to me and allowed me to pretty much come and go as I  needed,” said Rex. “I was working with them on their first ‘print up’ (which is an enlargement process) and it went pretty well.”
   They offered him a job in their gallery in Cannon Beach, which Rex saw as a good opportunity.
   “I wasn’t making enough money with my art, and it filled some needs for me. It’s been a good association,” he said.

   As his art has developed, Rex spends more time in LaCenter and less in Cannon Beach. He says his art has “been good” to him, financially speaking, this year. But it’s the process, stimulation and opportunity to learn that’s the real joy to Rex.
    “There’s a stimulation, and a learning about so many things, an exposure to things: new ideas, places, people, your environment,” he said. “That’s the best part.”
   He admits the need to better weigh marketing his work with his creative needs, which is a balanced approach to art that he would recommend. For now, when he has the time to sculpt, he does. He doesn’t wait for the mood to strike.
   “With art, you never know. It may stop tomorrow, it may get better. It’s not predictable,” said Rex.

   What he can predict is that when he isn’t in the gallery, or in his studio, he’s likely doing something connected with family. His four children and six grandchildren — who are scattered from California to Texas to Boise — are number one on Rex’s list of life’s priorities. He travels a good bit to see the children and grandchildren, and says that traveling has become an  interesting part of his life.
   When he isn’t on the road, he might be on the trail. Rex enjoys bicycling and last summer biked the San Juan Islands and part of the Cascade Trail. He also cross country skies and enjoys hiking. He admits his hobbies — like his art — can be physically draining.
   “But it’s so pleasurable when you’re done,” quipped Rex.

Text and photo © 2003 Cannon Beach Gazette