Glenn Brown

Glenn and his wife Hope carved by the light that filters through the windows of their work shop. Glenn started carving in 1939, snd Hope started in 1940. Glenn’s first carving was a goose carved in apple, Hope’s a cat in cherry. They created their own patterns and made them available to the John C. Campbell Folk School for other carvers. Hope also corrected and updated carving patterns for the school, providing examples of the various carving stages from the block to finished work.

Glenn was known for his geese, guinea fowl and many other birds; his favorite and most difficult was an eagle with outstretched wings, talons grasping a rock. “It’s hard and takes a couple of days to do.” Hope, responsible for the design of most of their patterns, designed and carved everything from cardinals to mockingbirds, dolphins to Dobermans, and fish to tigers. “I’ve never copied other people’s work; when I look at a block of wood I try to take advantage of the grain and pattern to flow with the lines of the animal’s shape or suggest patterned stripes.” Her most difficult piece was her standing angel for which she is nationally known.

In 1944, the Folk School’s work shop burned destroying all their patterns. The Browns had to temporarily move, finding employment in a Marietta, Georgia, bomber plant.

Both Hope and Glenn agreed walnut and cherry are the most beautiful woods to carve with. Glenn, famous for his beautifully detailed guineas, proudly stated that, “Hope has a tremendous imagination.” Hope responded, “I guess I’m a perfectionist...Hoyt, our son, does beautiful carvings too...we like being able to do something other folks would enjoy.”

[Source: https://www.wcu.edu/library/DigitalCollections/CraftRevival/people/hopeandglenbrown.html]