Charles Beck reaches another milestone

By Tom Hintgen (Contact) | The Daily Journal

Published Monday, April 21, 2008

Renowned Fergus Falls artist Charles Beck, best known for his woodblock prints depicting farmland and woods in northwestern Minnesota, has also spent 28 years producing bird forms. His desire to compile a record of bird forms, completed since 1980, has come to fruition.

The book, “Bird Forms,” now is in publication. A book signing will be held from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at Victor Lundeen Company which is celebrating its 94th anniversary as a business in downtown Fergus Falls.

“You can’t say enough good things about the artistic talents of Charles Beck,” Buzz Lundeen said. “We’ve been so fortunate to have him as a member of our community for these many years.”

Beck said Friday he’s received more than his share of recognition over the years. He does, however, know that people — who appreciate artwork — want to interact with him at functions such as the book signing scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.

“I thought it would be nice to have a record of my bird forms,” Beck said.

Beck designed the book along with Amy Sharpe, owner of Ripple River Gallery at Deerwood, northeast of Brainerd. Sharpe also served as editor.

His first bird form was a duck created from a block of cherry which he presented to his wife, Joyce.

“Whatever I make, she gets the first one,” he said.

Beck’s life-size bird forms are now sculpted from basswood. He uses grinders and wood rasps rather than carving knives. Beck, as emphasized in the book, strives to capture the form and essence of the bird. The final work is done with a rasp and sandpaper.

“I handle the birds like I handle my woodcuts,” he said, “as an interpretation of an idea versus a replica.”

While painting the finished bird form, Beck’s goal is not to imitate the bird. For instance, he doesn’t try to copy a duck any more than he tries to copy a certain farmstead when he’s painting.

He doesn’t have to go far to come up with ideas. Bird forms begin with the waterfowl near Beck’s home at Guttenberg Heights on the east side of Fergus Falls. He built the home about 1960.

He said the early bird forms produced in the 1980s were the result of experimenting. While working on a loon, he used cedar for the body and basswood for the head. Today, all his birds are basswood.

He dedicated the book, “Bird Forms,” to Mother Nature, adding, “without whom I would have little motivation to pursue my art.”

Pictures in the book include individual bird forms such as loons, ducks, snow geese, fields of winter geese, swans, cranes, herons, egrets, cormorants and turkeys.

People who come to the book signing Wednesday afternoon also will come to see a man who, through his artwork, has been the pride of Fergus Falls for several decades.

Beck, who with Joyce have three adult children, grew up in Fergus Falls. He attended college and started the art department in 1960 at what was then the first year of the local junior college, now MSCTC, Fergus Falls.

Holding a bachelor degree from Concordia College and a Master’s Degree from the University of Iowa, he worked at MSCTC for 27 years. In 2006 he was honored when the Charles Beck Gallery was dedicated at the new Legacy Hall.

The Fergus Area College Foundation created the Charles Beck Endowment in support of the visual arts at MSCTC, Fergus Falls. Funds are used for scholarships and to support MSCTC’s permanent art collection.

Over the years Beck’s works have been exhibited all across the United States. Now, others can have in their possession — through “Bird Forms — Beck’s many birds in a book which is a record of bird forms completed since 1980.

The publication marks another milestone in the distinguished career of Charles Beck.