swymer@sanfordherald.com



FEARRINGTON VILLAGE There are dozens of personalities that find their home at Forrest Greenslade's garage and sculpture studio, and the biggest of them all finds me soon after I pull up to the residence for what began as a tour, but ended up being more of a meet-and-greet.

"Welcome to the Forrest Dweller Garden," said Greenslade, standing next to one of many large stones that have been given marble glass eyes and a personality to match its quirky name.

As Greenslade touches one of the Greek mythology-inspired sculptures, highlighting his methodology, he explains how he forms his creations out of a combination of materials including peat moss, chicken wire, cement, bronze and copper. As he works in his Fearrington Village home that has transformed the garage and the room above it into a studio space full of paintings and sculptures-in-progress, he explains the creative process in a more abstract way.

"People don't buy art, they buy a piece of the artist's story," explained Greenslade, who took to creating peat moss masks after retiring as a scientist.

Like his own personality, many of his pieces have taken on a witty sense of humor, often through their design, their displayed mood or one of their kitschy names.

"They kind of make themselves," he said. "I think they dictate themselves."

As I make my way through the landscaped backyard, it's like stepping into a garden party with a myriad of faces made up from animals, mythical creatures and human moods everything from the "Bloomin' Loonies" that Greenslade claims are "deer resistant" garden accessories and the "Old Folks Home" that lines up the artist's older pieces to display along a series of trees.

"This is where they come to hang out," he said.

Now the president of the Chatham Artists Guild, Greenslade is one of dozens of Chatham County artists who will open up his studio and in Greenslade's case, his backyard that hosts a plethora of sculpture personalities to visitors as part of the organization's most popular annual event. The tour, which runs from Saturday through Sunday, opens the artists up for sales, commission requests, questions and free advertisement while benefiting the county economically.

"We have everything from large sculptures to very delicate jewelry," said Greenslade of the tour's artistic diversity. "This tour attracts people around the region and beyond the region to Chatham County. The other businesses in Chatham County will get an economic bump from this."

Personally, Greenslade sees the event as an opportunity to open up his backyard friends to the public and sees many leave his home to join a new garden. The constantly changing scenery has kept visitors coming back for years complemented by some of his more signature pieces.

"It's a thrill," he said. "I don't just do this for myself… I want people to enjoy what I've made."

Other artists agree most spend the majority of autumn bumping up their inventory for displays for the annual studio tour.

Hitting every artist's studio is close to impossible for those who try, so the guild has set up a "potpourri" display of all participating artists to offer an opportunity to the public to get a taste of the artistic variety from 7 to 9 p.m. on Dec. 5 at the Central Carolina Community College in Pittsboro. During that time, the artists will also meet for their award ceremony.

swymer@sanfordherald.com