Leland Brewsaugh

Leland Brewsaugh (1935-2003) was a prolific sculptor, designer, and painter.

He was a student of nature had a lifelong career painting birds and the landscapes of Florida and North Carolina. He was most known for his detailed life size carving birds in the swamps and marshes southeast.

Brewsaugh attended University of Florida in the 1950s, but wanted something more artistic. He landed at the Ringling School of Art in Sarasota, where he obtained the foundation for what would be a lifelong love and career in art.

After college, he spent years as a freelance illustrator. During a stint as a contractor with a military agency he learned how to use blueprints to make detailed models, a skill critical for the lifelike sculptures he would create throughout the rest of his life.

He then moved into the role of architect. He designed countless homes and business throughout Jacksonville where he lived with his wife and children.

As a hobbyist, Brewsaugh continued to experiment with painting, model making and creating detailed birds in basswood. Eventually, with encouragement from his wife, Elizabeth a potter, he decided to pursue his art full time.

Together, Elizabeth and Leland set out on the art show circuit winning awards and often selling out their entire inventories before the show closed. The success provided a large customer base then Brewsaugh was able to secure a space with a New York printer and his detailed bird prints were sold on a national scale. His popularity grew and soon dealers and private collectors took all of Brewsaugh's inventory before it was even created. At one point, he was sold out for two years.

Brewsaugh's career evolved and he was allowed the freedom to explore other mediums. He began painting outside his usual detailed bird paintings and completed a series of "working men." He focused on landscapes of Florida and North Carolina. Brewsaugh was a true designer at heart, he experimented in stained glass, Ikebana flower arranging, other forms of abstract wood sculpture and an autobiographical series of sculptures based on the wooden mannequin used to teach art students how to draw.

Brewsaugh's elaborate carvings can be found in private collections across the world including the White House. He has had over 50 prints on the market. He was an accomplished artist with a sense for design, color, light and space.