THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 27, 1995 TAG: 9508240259
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 40 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Medium: 89 lines
For 10 years, Browning Artworks has offered visitors to Hatteras Island a cultural oasis in an area that overflows mostly with seawater.
Braving barrier island weather that left a foot of water in the Frisco fine art craft gallery during Hurricane Emily, the Brownings have persevered in their attempt to showcase some of North Carolina's finest artisans.
In the beginning, the gallery carried the works of 25 artists. Today there is a waiting list to get in with several hundred artists participating on a rotating basis.
The success of the shop can be credited to the combined efforts of Linda Meyer Browning, her husband Lou and her in-laws, Dixie and Lee Browning. The idea to open the gallery came during a vacation the four took. All were armed with an art background, especially Dixie who has owned other galleries, is a fine watercolor painter, and a romance novelist whose books are read around the world.
For two years the Brownings planned their dream gallery before opening the shop in 1985. Linda Browning brings to the business an intensive background in commercial art and the soul of a painter, or as her husband fondly calls her, a sky scape artist.
After a 20-year hiatus from producing fine art, Linda says she's returning to the fold.
So along with celebrating the 10th anniversary of the gallery that's been heralded in the ``Travelers Guide to American Crafts East of the Mississippi,'' Browning is also celebrating her coming out as a water colorist.
She credits her mother-in-law with gently nudging her out of the nest and her husband with his critical eye. The beauty and solitude of the island also nourished her creative spirit along with her immersion in the business of art, and the inspirational works of the artists she showcases.
This year Browning began producing, with regularity, sensitive paintings that honor the love she has for her husband's ancestral home.
In her artist's statement, Browning says she's a self taught artist who's always painted. ``I probably started in my mother's womb,'' she said. But after receiving an art scholarship in high school, she went on to receive a degree in psychology at West Virginia University. Apparently her high school art experience left a bad taste in her mouth.
``The high school scholarship was awarded on the influence of my art teacher's bias,'' Browning said. ``She taught me her technique. She narrowed, rather than expanded my vision. I stayed out of fine art as long as I did because of it.''
Browning did not leave art behind entirely. In fact she has had a successful career in commercial art over the years. She worked as an advertising layout and design artist for the Olean Times Herald in New York and for Sears in Eureka, Calif. She was a medical artist at UNC Memorial Hospital in Chapel Hill and a commercial artist for WTAR Radio and Channel 3 TV in Norfolk. She recalls the Norfolk opportunity as wonderful, filled with celebrities and creative comraderie, but city life lost its appeal when Browning became the victim of a robbery.
A small-town girl at heart, Browning left Norfolk for the Outer Banks. ``We have had the most terrific sunsets and beautiful cloud formations. Everything has been superlative,'' Browning said. ``It was inspirational.''
A trip to Frisco always reveals fascinating displays by nature, and a stop at Browning Artworks provides visitors the opportunity to view and purchase fine art crafts produced by the human experience. It's a good combination.
A metal sculptural fountain by Lou Browning greets viewers at the door.
There's a wonderful collection of pottery inside that runs the gamut in glazes from rich, saturated colors to softer, delicate brush strokes. An exquisite cutaway clay basket waits for a special owner. The blue green glaze coupled with sienna hues produces an earthy feel. The clay design flows from the lip to the base, swirling back and forth like a whirlpool, capturing you forever.
Handwoven baskets enliven the upper shelves and hand-carved birds and sculptures greet you at eye level. Eight jewelry cases line the shop and fabric art adorns the gallery. Venture into the length of the shop to view Browning's paintings. Her ``Storm Over Hatteras'' has a nostalgic feel with the choppy waters reaching up to greet a dark, cloud-filled sky.
Browning Artworks in Frisco is a place where things come together, celebrating the union of nature and humanity.
Sometimes stormy, but always inspirational. MEMO: Mary Ellen Riddle covers Outer Banks arts for The Carolina Coast. Send
comments and questions to her at P.O. Box 10, Nags Head, N.C. 27959. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by MARY ELLEN RIDDLE
Linda Meyer Browning owns Browning Artworks with her husband Lou and
in-laws, Dixie and Lee Browning.
by CNB