Carved in Wonder

At 81, Madison County resident Drew Langsner has a lifetime of knowledge when it comes to woodworking. For the last several decades, Langsner has been exploring fine art across the world. He earned his bachelor’s degree in anthropology before studying studio art, painting, and sculpture in graduate school. He’s also written five books, mostly on woodworking. Now, Langsner resides on a large acreage that was, for four decades, used as a school for aspiring artists, and he’s continued to create stunning carved sculptures that combine utilitarian influences with fine art. 

The Southern California native’s first influences were his creative parents. “I grew up in the art world, actually, and the music world, because my father was an art historian and my mom was a piano teacher,” he explains. “As I was growing up, I was in museums and art galleries—not constantly, but commonly.” Influenced by family, he eventually pursued a creative career alongside his wife Louise. Their first book, Handmade: Vanishing Cultures Of Europe And The Near East, was published in 1976. “And then exactly as we finished that project we got in our old Chevy Suburban and drove across the country. Right up to where I’m sitting right now actually,” he says, smiling in his home situated on a hundred acres of mountain land. 

Over the next several decades, Langsner would make significant contributions to the woodworking scene in Western North Carolina, not only by authoring several books on the subject, but also by creating a school for aspiring woodworkers. For forty years, Langsner and his wife ran Country Workshops from their homestead, a small collection of classes taught by Langsner or guest instructors. Since their property is so rural, the Langnsers hosted most of these students at their home since there were no other lodging options nearby. Students took week-long goaled classes in the backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains. 

Although Langsner experimented with a variety of woodworking techniques, he has mostly taken a fine-arts, hand-carved approach. In his “Not A Chair” series, Langsner uses repurposed chair materials to create an abstract display that emanates antiquity. Trocadero Deux, for example, incorporates the ornate designs of aged furniture with sharp, unexpected lines. A collection of multi-hollowed servers incorporates the age-old use of wood in everyday home commodities; both a sculpture and a functional dinner addition, they display each carving stroke. 

“Artists have spent an entire career making what we call still life. I’m trying to invent things that are as good as a bowl of fruit, but that have never been made before. I’m not interested in reproducing a bowl of fruit or making a picture of a bowl of fruit—a camera can do that. Really, I’m interested in making something that’s as nice to look at as the bowl of fruit,” Langsner explains. 

Currently, Langsner’s work is on display at a variety of smaller spaces in our region, including Mars Landing Galleries in Mars Hill. Most recently, Langsner’s work was a part of the FRESH exhibit on display at the Madison County Arts Council in Marshall. 

LEARN MORE To see Langsner’s work, purchase books, and connect with the artist, visite drewlangsner.art.