Zebra Gallery this month is featuring “Driftwood Brothers,” an exhibition showcasing the extraordinary work of driftwood artists Bernie Houston and Larry Ringgold. After talking with the two artists on Zoom last week, The Spy came away amazed at what can be done with driftwood in the hands of imaginative, deeply skilled craftsmen. What begins as twisted wood washed ashore somehow becomes horses, birds, turtles, sea creatures and abstract forms that seem to have been hiding inside the wood all along.
Houston, who grew up on Tybee Island near Savannah, Georgia, said driftwood has fascinated him since childhood. “I was surrounded by driftwood growing up, and it was always intriguing to me,” he said. As a boy fishing and crabbing along the coast, he would pass the time carving driftwood with a knife. “The little game I played with myself at a very young age was, ‘ What creature is it going to be today?” That fascination eventually turned into a nationally recognized career creating driftwood sculptures.
Ringgold’s connection comes from a lifetime on the Chesapeake Bay. Raised in a family of watermen and later a longtime carpentry and cabinetmaking teacher, he said his driftwood work expanded dramatically after hurricanes and flooding sent huge amounts of driftwood into the Bay from the Conowingo Dam. “All of a sudden I had all this wood to play with,” he said. His sculptures now include everything from owls and eagles to massive rhinos and deer. Dave Matthews even owns one of his rhino sculptures.
What makes the exhibition especially compelling is how differently the two artists approach the same material. Houston often sees figures and faces hidden inside a single piece of wood, while Ringgold assembles pieces together to create anatomy and movement. Still, both share a deep respect for the natural beauty of the driftwood itself. “We both want the viewer to see how beautiful driftwood is,” Houston said.
This video is approximately three minutes in length. For more information about the Driftwood Brothers and Zebra Gallery, please go here.
Zebra Gallery is located at 5 N. Harrison Street in Easton. For more information, visit thezebragallery.com
