San Augustine – In a loft just off the square in San Augustine, Gary Brewer puts pencil to paper. He can spend hours in his art studio because it’s sort of his getaway.
“I watch the pencil as it works. I don’t have any thoughts as I do my artwork. I’m not a participant. I’m an observer as my pencil makes its strokes,” Gary said.
Gary likes to get a reaction out of people, mainly with his art, but it’s his other project that isn’t as quite popular amongst some of the locals; his massive 5 story wooden deck in the middle of the square. “I had some pushback and resistance with my deck, mostly because of the style of it.”
While art is a hobby for Gary, his real business is being a builder. “My full-time job is a contractor. My son and I work together. We build things, a lot of porches and decks and cabinets and such,” Gary explained.
Rising above the trees of East Texas, this deck is 56 feet tall, and it’s surrounded by Gary’s art, including one provocative portrait of himself, which makes him look like a Bond villain.
Built over the home he bought in 2006, the massive mound of wood has been Gary’s pet project for some time now. “Shane, I’m just a common working man, and I’ve been working on that deck here and there a day or two here, a week or two there, whenever I can afford the material. But I’ve been working on it for quite some years,” Gary said. “This is my party deck by the way. This whole thing is for good times, fun times.”
Gary intention to build this big deck wasn’t just so he could be high on life, he wanted to contribute to the town he grew up in. “I wanted to bring something different to the town and help the town to progress a little bit. It’s just kind of a sleepy little town,” he said.
But just like any small town, locals are always vigilant about what’s going on. Gary does the same, he just happens to have the best seat in town. “I see a lot of things in vehicles as they go by,” Gary said. “The typical thing people have in the bed of their trucks are a gas can, a cooler, and a lot of empty beer cans. I have a pretty good view all the way around.”
Gary still has few things to do on his deck but once he is done, he’ll have his masterpiece. “Then I’ll finally be able to put my hot tub on the very top.”
Man, that’s going to be a scene in St. Augustine when they bring in the crane to put the hot tub on the top level.
While the deck is a sight to see for most out of towners, the locals that don’t like the dominating featuring of downtown San Augustine aren’t brushed over by Gary. “That’s okay. I get it. I understand. And it’s mostly the folks who have been here for years and the town as it is what they’ve known, and it means more to them as what they’ve known than something as extreme and different as my corner, and I don’t begrudge any of them, but I don’t apologize either,” Gary said. “I think my corner will possibly help this little town in its growth and give those older folks a little reason to understand that diversity and change might be a good thing for the town.”
So whether it’s his behemoth of a balcony or his artwork, Gary is one interesting guy and the king of his deck domain. Getting to meet him is one off the wall stop on The Texas Bucket List. “I don’t reckon I like one over the other, but the deck will be completed one day, but I’ll draw and do my artwork all my days,” said Gary.
