t creche
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for all who love, own or collect a creche Vol. I, No. 2 TREASURING MEMORIES OF THE CRECHE
Summer 1997 DENNIS BROWN OFFERS A NEW LOOK
D ecently a friend told me about the time his
"Mine is a year round Nativity that the whole family can relate to," says Dennis Brown in describing his original approach to depicting the Christmas story, The Bethlehem Experience. "I love the tradition of the Old Masters, but my biggest inspiration is children's books. I try to give my figures a hands-on feel, with bright colors and emotional expressions on faces." One of Brown's unusual interpretations is placing the Three Wise Men in a boat. "I envision the • Three Wise Men as having traveled to Bethlehem in various traditional ways," he says. "One might have come by camel, another by elephant, and perhaps the third walked, but remember, in a dream, the angel told them to go home by another route. For me, the possibility of that other route is by water, so I put them in a boat. Most people love the boat because it expands the story of the Nativity just a little and lets them see it in a new light." When asked about his favorite figure, Brown hesitates briefly. "The Three Wise Men get most of the attention," he says, "but I guess my personal favorite is one of the standing shepherds. He's a very humble fellow, just overawed by the events that have brought him to the manger." Brown's Nativity is part of a larger line called Reasons to Believe recently released by Enesco. "I gave it that name because all the figures in that line give to mankind in some way--figures like Santa Claus or even Uncle Sam. And of course, the cornerstone of giving is the Nativity." The Bethlehem Experience features a ISpiece Nativity scene crafted from cold-cast resin that is colorfully hand-painted. Each piece comes with a miniature color booklet that tells the story of the event. Brown started in clay sculpting as a child, making figures in play dough to go along with his match box cars. Pretty soon, he was making figures for his friends. About 3000 figurines and numerous state fair awards later, he says, "And I guess I'm still making people." His studio is a workbench situated in the front window of a shop in Kirkland, Washington where he says his friend, Rusty Wakefield, serves as an idea person. Brown and his wife, Linda, reside in Kirkland.
.l~arents first took him to see a live creche. "It was a pretty raw afternoon. The skies were overcast and rain was threatening. To make matters worse, the heater in my dad's car wasn't working, so by the time we got to the church, none of us was fit company for anyone. But the moment we came close to the creche, it was as if that bone chilling ride had never happened. "For myself, I had never seen anything so wonderful. There was a beautiful young girl as the Virgin Mary and a serious St. Joseph--although the attached gray beard didn't make him look any older than his sixteen years. On either side were some shepherds, an actual cow and donkey, and a doll filling in for a real infant. Then suddenly, the heavens opened and heavy rains poured down. As we onlookers scurried to get under shelter, the actors all did what the characters they portrayed were supposed to do: Mary quickly scooped up the "baby," Joseph protectively placed a cloak over mother and child, and helped them to a nearby building, and the shepherds led the animals into the stable. It was like being part of the drama ourselves." uch reminiscences always make us glad we have been part of the creche experience. Rita B. Bacher
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Dennis Brown's Born in A Manger by Enesco