---

NORTON - While plastic many dominate the world right now, wood is making a comeback, at least at Wheaton College.

"Hugh Townely, The Wizard with Wood," on exhibit in the Beard and Weil Galleries in the Watson Fine Art Building through Dec. 1, uses the natural-flow pattern of wood to enhance his intricate wall reliefs. And while the wood is carved into familiar, and not so familiar, shapes, the patterns of are enough to keep the viewer mesmerized for hours.

Townley, a professor at Brown University nearly 30 years before retiring in 1989, has exhibited all over the country and been inspired by his travels all over the world. Tribal shapes from South America, India, and Native American culture seem to radiate from his work on display at Wheaton.

"The Berrybush" is what first catches the eye in the smallish galleries. The dark cedar structure, created between 1960 and 1962, nearly reaches the ceiling and towers over the rest of the pieces. "The Berrybush" has been erected at almost its full height for the first time; usually the ceilings at host galleries are too low to show the whole piece.

The exhibit is full of colorfully titled pieces including "The Witch and a Ghost Arguing in a Himalayan Retreat," "Mrs. Crowlady," "The Deaf Nun," and "Tall Blue with Spotted Pig." One of the most fascinating works is "The Birdsmith," nestled in the shadow of "Berrybush," whose hand-like shapes invite a closer look. The figures on top repeat throughout.

Townley liked repeating familiar shapes among his unique shapes, perhaps to give the viewer a focal point. Some of the wall reliefs are so massive it is hard to know where to begin, and a familiar heart, hand, or star is often a good start. The familiar shapes can get repetitive in the small collection, but the key is to step back and take in the whole piece. From there, the more detailed and unique shapes start to catch your eye, and you have to wonder how Townely carved these pieces using just a band saw.

Bit of a puzzle

Deciphering the pieces can be a puzzle on some of the wall reliefs; there is so much wood that seems like it should just be falling off the wall, and yet they have held firm for more than 30 years without an obvious sign of a nail.

"Mrs. Crowlady" is one of Townley's later pieces of art, and if the name doesn't make you smile then the shapes will, especially if you try to find the lady and the crow. Sometimes it is easy to see how the piece got its name. If you have ever traveled to Wisconsin, the work "A View of Wisconsin" seems aptly named given the gently rolling pieces of wood and flat plains.

The use of negative space in several of Townley pieces is also noteworthy - the shadows seem to be as much a part of the work as the wood carvings themselves.

The color reliefs are grouped together in the gallery. Somehow the clash of colors that other artists retreat from (red and pink side by side, as in "Lost in Space") seem to work with the overall chaotic nature of the pieces.

The only color reliefs that didn't seem chaotic were the "Painted Box" grouping, small rectangular boxes with nesting pieces whose unfinished veneer and small recognizable shapes make them stand out.

If you go to see the Townley exhibit, Ann Murray, the director of the Beard and Weil Galleries and professor of art of Wheaton, recommends starting at the "Ceramic Group of 10," designed in 1957.

The next stop should be the untitled bronze bird, which requires imagination in addition to the interpretation. Originally the bird was suspended from the ceiling, similar to "The Heart Chain." And according to Murray, it was usually hung so that it seemed like the bird was falling or dead. Take a close look at the plywood reliefs on the right and left side of the galleries in the front. The layered design has rows of designs within boxes, abstract shapes mixed in with the more clearly defined and often repeated shapes that distinguish a Townley. Murray points out that the knots in the wood are all part of the art.

Don't miss "The Telephone Book," circa 1959, whose scrambled and shaped pages are actually from a 1950s phone book.

The most famous piece, "Einstein, Eddington, Edison, and Ford," carved in 1979, is the centerpiece of the exhibit, and Murray said it is in the same place today as it was 30 years ago when Townley first had his exhibit at Wheaton in 1981.