After my last post I got to thinking about the whole “glass thing” and how beautiful it makes everything, blah, blah, blah… which ended up making me think about somebody really special… somebody who literally LIVES under glass and YES, he is beautiful. Not because of the glass, of course, but because of his beautiful soul and amazing talent as an artist. Charlie Stagg is a friend and we are grateful to not only know and love him but to own two very special works of art. So this post spotlights him, his beautiful glass creation and of course his amazing talent as an artist.
Yes, renovation of this modern home sucks the life out of us… but the art that surrounds us revives and motivates us to live beautifully and creatively. Charles Stagg’s work does just that… and you can see why. The love and care, the time and commitment he puts into these pieces is simply amazing.
These are the two we own and someday when all the renovation work slows and the money quits pouring out the door, I’ll save some and get another. The top one is in the dining room and the one below in the den.
His work is collected by many and is featured at the Art Museum of Southeast Texas, as seen below with artists James Surls and John Alexander. The American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland, is the permanent home of one of his 35-foot-tall wooden sculptures. These are his “DNA” sculptures but Charlie is a wonderful painter as well.
The reason I thought of him when I thought of glass? Good question, since all I’ve shown you is his work with wood. The art he creates with glass is his HOME! Yes, Charlie is living the simple life and definitely GOES GREEN! His home is made up of thousands of bottles and cans that he and friends collect. He assembles walls and spaces made of aluminum, concrete, and glass. It’s incredible and the glass is beyond beautiful.
Enjoy some photos we have taken during visits….
Three years ago a Canadian documentary crew did a piece on him and Richie was in the documentary called “Driven By Vision: You’re a Good Man Charlie”. It shed such a lovely light on his work and life.
The large sculpture below is the one we ended up buying from him. When I saw it, I knew.
That vaulted ceiling leaves me speechless. There was a very unfortunate fire in the building back in 2006 (I think that was the year) and charlie lost many, many, many wonderful works of art and this portion of the building collapsed. He spent years rebuilding. He was relentless!
Here are a few pictures from his studio before the fire. I just can’t imagine losing so much. Aren’t the pieces incredible? All the pieces of wood are collected from his property and every one is cut and worked by hand.
If that’s not inspiring I don’t know what is! Thank you, charlie…. we’ll visit you soon.
(UPDATE TO THIS POST: Charles passed away February 20, 2012.)
Reblogged this on The Blogspaper.
We happened upon Mr. Stagg’s home while hiking in the woods behind our house yesterday. We were afraid to get too close, having no idea what we had stumbled upon. What a fantastic place!! I hope that I get the opportunity to meet him in person. :)
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Hello! I think you guys live around the corner from us…I love your house…we always pass it and say that the people inside must be very creative! Being a mid century modern home fan and owner…I really appreciate what y’all are doing with your super cool abode!
I had never even heard of Charlie Stagg…but I wish that I had. Genius right under our noses. There is a fund being started to provide money for his family to fence the home….you know how destructive some folks are these days. Lovely post here.
HELLO NEIGHBOR! I’m so embarrassed that I haven’t met you or so many people in this neighborhood. This house eats up all my time (happily). Thanks for looking and for the nice comments. You said you were a MCM owner. Which house is yours? Charlie was like nobody else and we loved him, so YES, I’m glad they are getting together funds for a fence. I hope people help out. Charlie was always worried about what would happen after he was gone. It was the topic of many conversations. I’m glad his family is taking steps to secure the area. I hope to see you around the neighborhood. Please stop and say hello. – Stacey