Jeffie Brewer - University of Houston
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Jeffie Brewer

(American, b. 1971)

  • Cloud, 2019
  • Pink Sexy, 2020

Text Transcript: Cloud, Pink Sexy

Hey there. This is Jeffie Brewer. You are looking at Cloud and Pink Sexy. Both forms are ones I've been working on or making for some time.

My philosophy on making things is to parse them down to just enough information so that you can add your own little narrative, or - actually due to the scale, and where they are and how big they are, you become part of the narrative.

You know the cloud itself - we all have this kind of fascination with clouds and how we stare into them and see things or just general fascination with the weather like me. I have a very early memory of being about 8 years old, and I grew up in a junkyard, and across the street from the junkyard was a gas station, and in this gas station there was candy. And I really remember being able to go across the street and get candy when I wanted to. One day there was a storm, it was a big, giant cloud across the sky, and it rolled in. It was dark, and then the rain started. Well, the cloud stopped right between me and the candy store, and this line of rain – I can still remember it – this perfect line of rain. Everything across the street was clean and new, and on my side was dusty dirty Texas. And it stuck with me. This idea of renewal or rebirth. I don't know, probably way too heavy that was going on for an 8-year-old. Nevertheless, it was something very interesting that happened to me, and I believe kind of directed my aesthetics or ideas of what aesthetics were, or who knows.

The other piece is Pink Sexy, and it's from a sketch book that's about 20 years old. You know, I would thumb through this sketchbook every so often, and think, “You know, I should make that.” One year, next year, next year, finally I decided, and boom, I made it. There are actually three of these. The first one I made a couple of years ago, it's in D.C., and there's another one in Santa Fe, and then this one is brand new just for you guys to view. It’s the first time that it’s been in this actual show.

So there you go. I hope you enjoyed it, and if you did, check me out on jeffiebrewer.com, or find me on social media. Have a fantastic day. Thanks.

Painted steel
Courtesy of the artist, Nacogdoches
Location: Wilhelmina’s Grove

Jeffie Brewer’s array of recognizable shapes are influenced by his fascination with pop culture and a background in design. These sculptures toe the line between identifiable and abstract forms. The use of vibrant color and enlarged scale impacts our relationship to them, while leaving room for interpretation and play. The artist is based in Nacogdoches, Texas.

  • Kitty, 2019
  • Bunny, 2019
  • Gigaff, 2019

Text Transcript: Kitty, Bunny, Gigaff

Well howdy. This is Jeffie Brewer.

You are looking at Bunny, Kitty, and Gigaff. Bunny is a form that I made about 12 years ago, and this is what actually got me into making public art. I had made a small sculpture for a friend of mine that runs an arboretum, and she placed it, and within a month, someone had stolen it. So I told her I would make her something really big that they couldn't steal, so I made my first Bunny. It was about 10 or 11 feet tall. Weighed about 400 pounds, so no one could steal it. And from that I saw the interaction that people had with public art. I saw that they, you know, would stop, reflect, or engage, and it changed the way and my perception of how art, in general, should be and what it meant to me. You know, public art brings people from all spectrums of society that necessarily wouldn't go to a gallery or museum, and so for me that was it. I I've been hooked ever since.

Kitty, like Bunny, is a simplified stylistic kitty form, but it's been abstracted down to its simplest version with my signature kind of lack-of-eyes as eyes.

Gig is one of my favorites also. It’s borrowing from a series of things that I made four or five years ago – monsters – and it kind of has this giraffe feel, monster feel, architectural leg feel. It was really fun.

Everything that I make is made out of 10 gauge steel, and it’s welded up. And I’ve kind of had to live this dichotomy of “burly redneck guy that beats things with hammer and fire” or “college professor that was for 20 years who tried to see the beauty in the world in a sensitive thoughtful way.” It's been a very interesting life.

I hope you enjoyed the work. If you did, check me out at  jeffiebrewer.com or find me on social media. Have a good day. Thanks.

Painted steel
Courtesy of the artist, Nacogdoches
Location: Butler’s Plaza

Jeffie Brewer is known for his irreverence and unique humor. His background in graphic design as well as an array of industrial skills developed as a child at his father’s junkyard inform his art. He has stated of his craft and work: “I have an insatiable desire to create, to explore, to understand. The intention of my works is to provide just enough information, leaving room for interpretation as well as a little mystery.”

  • PoP, 2017

Text Transcript: PoP

Well hello again. This is Jeffie Brewer, and you are looking at PoP.

PoP is from a series of monsters that I made about five years ago. I had this piece in Florida, it was a bunny sculpture, maybe 8 or 10 years ago, and someone had written me and said they were a huge fan of my work, but they had to alter their route home at night due to the scary nature of the bunny. The lights were shining through its eyes or something, and it scared them at night. And the thought of somebody being scared of my work was hilarious to me, but it got me thinking about this idea of monsters and this play back and forth between what I do as making kind of a fun, pop culture reference to things and then also this, you know, the dark side of being alive and a human being. So, I've done all these drawings of monsters and was asked to be in a show in Connecticut, and three of the large works were shipped up there – PoP being one of them. Which gets me to the point about this whole thing. This sculpture that you're looking at is so well-traveled, better traveled in some people that I know. It has been to the east coast, to the west coast, down to Florida, been to Arkansas, Colorado, Santa Fe. It's pretty fascinating. I may have to retire it pretty soon and give him a nice home in the country.

So, I am so thankful just to be able to do what I do – to make art. And especially for this opportunity to be in this show, Color Field, with all these amazing artists and especially to get to show in Houston, right in my own backyard with my people.

If you have any questions about any artwork or would like to know more about me, you can check that out at  jeffiebrewer.com, shoot me an email, or find me on social media. I hope you have a fantastic day and enjoy the rest of the show.

Painted steel
Courtesy of the artist, Nacogdoches
Location: Butler’s Plaza

Based in Nacogdoches, Jeffie Brewer has stated that he is most interested in delighting viewers while creating something fun in his artworks. PoP and the several other Brewer sculptures on display around our campus are emblematic of this dual intent. These works also reflect his trademark whimsical takes on recognizable forms and brightly painted steel surfaces.

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  • Meet Jeffie Brewer

    Meet Jeffie Brewer

    Watch a recording of the Color Talk, Zoom conversation featuring Jeffie Brewer and Public Art UHS curator, Mike Guidry.
  • Watch a Virtual Tour

    Virtual Tour

    Take a virtual tour of Jeffie Brewer's artworks at the University of Houston led by Public Art UHS curator, Mike Guidry.
  • Art Project

    Art Project

    Create colorful paper bunnies and watch them take flight in the sky.

    Print the template

  • Art Sheet

    Art Sheet

    Learn more about Jeffie Brewer and his artwork.