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Today in Mississippi
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October 2017
for sculptor
Alex Brown Alex Brown refines the contours of a life-size horse head he is carving from a single block of wood. Photo: Alex Brown His fine hand-finishing work is evident in a similar completed sculpture, below. Photo: Dennis McFee
Alexander “Alex” Brown has led what he calls a “weird life.” He has worked as a professional photographer, a breeder of tropical fish, an oyster hatchery employee and a licensed contractor, all while living in Bay St. Louis. He is now a wood sculptor, living near Bentonia, whose work is exhibited at fine art festivals from Florida to Colorado. Brown’s interest in freehand wood sculpture was sparked in Bay St. Louis while hand sanding wood for an artist friend on weekends. After buying his own set of basic woodworking tools, Brown discovered the path of life he seems born to follow. Then, a few years after Hurricane Katrina destroyed his coastal home, Brown closed his contracting business to become a fulltime wood sculptor. “I said, you know, I’m just going to do art.” Brown now focuses solely on designing, producing and marketing wood sculpture, bowls and other functional items. He uses only native woods collected near his rural workshop, which is served by Yazoo Valley Electric Power Association. Animals are a favorite subject for his figurative sculptures, their curvy contours and features altered by his own imaginative styling. Some are realistic,