Live With Art
Jeremy Brown remembers his mother’s thriving flower and vegetable gardens in Norman, Oklahoma. As a kid growing up in the Midwest, he saw on his mom’s face the satisfaction that she got from growing things. Witnessing the evolution from seed to a beautiful bloom or harvesting a garden full of organically grown food for her family to enjoy, she relished the art of her horticultural creations.
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Jeremy’s father was a creator in a different sense. Building custom homes, he kept little Jeremy busy starting at the age of four sweeping sawdust and moving lumber around dad’s shop. Jeremy frequently began accompanying his dad on job sites as fresh lumber was transformed from its raw state to finished homes through the expert skills of carpenters and the artistry of craftspeople.
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It could have been the memory of the scent of newly turned soil in mom’s flowerbeds or the fragrance of recently sawed wood he once swept up in dad’s shop that stirred Jeremy’s imagination that eventually prompted his own creative instincts. Either way, a seed was planted somewhere along the way and, after his discharge from the Navy and a life traveling throughout Asia, the South Pacific, and the Middle East, Jeremy found himself back in Norman. A little older and a bit more worldly, he started on a different sort of discovery, far from the naval ships he lived on in Japan and then in the Persian Gulf. He enrolled in architecture school. Eager to find a job that would sustain him as he pursued his education, he visited Barry Moskowitz, an old family friend, and renowned master woodworker for whom he once did odd jobs as a kid.
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Barry quickly put Jeremy to work. Learning everything there was to know about creating some of the most sought-after homes in Oklahoma, Jeremy soon found a niche in cabinet making. Jeremy learned from Barry the art of efficiency and the exacting science of respectfully using wood resources with an eye toward conservation. What started as a training ground for architecture soon became a blueprint for his future – the apprenticeship of a lifetime! With a year and a half yet to complete his architecture degree, Jeremy quit school and decided to hone his skills in the cabinet making industry. This invaluable learning experience continued for the next three years.
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The next step in Jeremy’s evolution took him to Arizona to establish a cabinet making business which he and his brother ran with great success for the next 23 years. However, cabinets weren’t the only thing Jeremy created. As a man who enjoys working in the kitchen and preparing beautiful meals for his family, he incorporated his love of cooking into his kitchen designs. His passion for functional art grew and his pieces began reflecting both the aesthetics and, as importantly, the functionality rarely achieved in an art studio.
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Those childhood visions dancing in his head began to emerge from his workbench and toolbox.
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His transition from building custom cabinetry to pursuing his art full-time, liberated a spark in Jeremy that is akin to the renewal of wood itself after the cut. While wood tends to seal itself when exposed to the elements and the aroma eventually fades, freshly cut wood exposes new parts of the wood, restoring its scent – not unlike pruning a branch to awaken new life.
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Unapologetic in leaving cabinetmaking behind to follow his artistic vision, he was eager to listen to his soul. His interpretation of beautifully artistic pieces that go beyond the utilitarian is the culmination of an imagination that is as absorbing as the art he creates. With a passion to stir something in the souls of those who encounter his work, he finds purpose in giving comfort through his art.
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A vision for the life and beauty of repurposing wood energizes Jeremy’s spirit as he gleans his version of perfection from the imperfection of nature as inspired by the traditional Japanese aesthetics, wabi-sabi and kintsugi: wabi-sabi centered on finding beauty in every aspect of imperfection in nature, and kintsugi, the art of fixing broken things by mending the areas of breakage with gold or other elements. Both wabi-sabi and kintsugi are concepts that are inspiration for Jeremy – whether restoring reclaimed wood, using fresh pieces, or injecting new life with crystals from the Earth or liquid metal joining wood pieces together in a new way.
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Generating visceral reactions that evoke unexpected emotions – feelings one may not be able to identify – is immensely satisfying to Jeremy who respects the imperfections that nature accepts so readily. Maybe it is why this artist can get so lost in his days spent creating, honing his skills, never even noticing the bright morning sky fading to the soft light of dusk. Being absorbed in a creation taking shape in his studio is inherent in the love he imparts into each piece. This is work that begins in his soul but is not left unfiltered by the sprinklings of intention infused into each piece – whether it is a table where eventually a family will gather for a meal, or a chair that will be passed down for generations.
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Taking things that were once vibrantly alive and repurposing them for new life is the core of Bough Design. The rich soil in Jeremy’s garden is his unique vision that sprouts his creativity. Unlike his mother’s garden that continue to yield blossoms and produce vegetables, both beautiful and utilitarian – one to be visually enjoyed and one to be consumed – he instead focuses on creating treasures that are as lasting as fond memories of days gone by. That is the gift that surfaces from the eye of an artist that magically intersects the wonders of Earth with the joy of our everyday human experience in just living.