Brian Rance: ‘I’m making the world that I want to live in’

A dragon, flying pigs, and a giant paint brush were not what I expected to find in Galena, Mo. The eye-catching sculptures were sitting near the large windows of a corner building facing the town square. My husband Ryan and I were just passing through the town, but we were curious to find out more. We went into a nearby diner and asked around. We learned that the building was an art studio, and we decided to see if the owner was inside.

Brian Rance was covered in fiberglass material when he opened the door. Ryan and I knew we were showing up unannounced, but a lady working at the diner said that he wouldn’t mind. Rance greeted us with a handshake and invited us into his art studio. We found out later the official name of the building was Tower House Studio. As we stepped inside, two towering sculptures that resembled Tiki head statues came into view.

“This is what I’ve been working on,” he said, pointing up at them with one of his carving tools. He explained the two sculptures were for a customer in Branson, Mo. and he showed us the sketch he was using for reference.

“This is the part that requires skill, the carving of the original,” he said. He had carved the original face out of foam blocks, and the second one standing behind it was a fiberglass casting. Across the room was a desk covered in papers with different sketches and paintings. He revealed that he was also working on illustrations for a children’s book.

His British accent led Ryan to ask where he was from. “London,” he said with a smile, before Ryan could finish the question. It was probably a question he got all the time. We laughed about it, and Rance took us on a journey through his art and memories.

Rance came to the United States in 1974. He traveled the country by bus and on foot, painting the places and people he saw. He set up an art studio in the Ozarks a few years later. Before coming to the U.S., he had been commissioned to paint murals and paintings for several hotels in England.

The building of Tower House Studio was originally a general store. The building was condemned when he bought it, and he has spent the last 25 years restoring it in his spare time. He also restored the sidewalk and recreated the intricate ornamental molding that crowns the outside of the roof. While Rance does find inspiration from the Ozarks scenery, one of the reasons he chose this building was because the main room provided the space he needed for some of his large-scale creations. He’s a painter, sculptor and designer. He has created theatrical backdrops, scenery pieces and props for national and international shows, including The Promise, Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid.

“People ask me, ‘how do you do that?’ I don’t know and I don’t care and I just can. It’s God-given. The thing about doing anything creative is, it’s the opposite of what you think,” he said. “I don’t fill my mind with stuff, I empty it so that I can be receptive to things that I see and read and do and talk about. And it always comes to me every time. That method works.”

Rance’s studio was a maze of left over set pieces and miscellaneous sculptures. Paint smears could be seen high up on the wall, left behind from massive backdrops he had painted. He described one of the larger backdrops he had worked on as being 70 feet long and 30 feet high. Some of his work had been done for clients, but he also had pieces that he did for his own enjoyment.

“I made this one for its own sake,” he said, pointing to an elegant sculpture of slender tree. He led us over to it and explained how it represented the spirit of a tree. He had been inspired by a conversation he had with some children about whether trees have a consciousness.

He led us to the front entrance of the building where he introduced us to the dragon we had seen earlier from the square. He said he was really proud of it.

“It’s more than a dragon,” he said with a grin, “It’s a rocking chair.” He rocked it slowly and showed us how the hands formed the seat. He said he brings it out during Halloween for the community to enjoy. Smoke billows out of its mouth from a smoke machine hidden inside, and families will line up to get pictures with it. You can view more pictures of it here. He also pointed out another tree spirit sculpture, a unicorn head and a couple of large hand sculptures.

“This one here’s a little deep,” he said as he gestured to a tall, cloaked sculpture. It had an ominous look to it. He called it, “Angel at Patmos,” based on the bible story of the angel that came to John when he wrote the book of Revelation while on the Island of Patmos. Rance said he has never owned a television, and he tries to keep technology in his life to a minimum with a few exceptions. With that in mind, the symbolism this sculpture held for Rance was understandable.

“He’s offering mankind technology for better or worse,” said Rance. “He’s not human, he doesn’t have any eyes. He’s impartial. That took me 10 years to make that. Not 10 years full time, but I kept changing my mind.” He explained that he kept finding new inspiration from his travels to Argentina and from other Greek sculptures. “I believe that if there is truth in something, then whether a person is educated or not, they still pick up on it,” he said, referring to the sculpture’s symbolism.

Rance went on to reminisce about his travels and the work he did before coming to the states. He has visited 30 countries. He speaks two languages and plays two instruments. He has lived in the Andes and traveled through the Amazon.

“I’ve worked for circuses as well,” he recounted. “I worked in Mexico City for three months and I worked in Tijuana for a circus and it’s exciting.” He described the similarities between artists like himself and artists who entertain or perform like the people he knows in show business. He believed that every artist has a place in their mind they go to when they’re engaged in their art.

“You might be working days and days on it, you’ve got your radio on, and your mind is wandering somewhere,” he said. “This happens every time. It takes you to a door, a secret door, and you go into that door. And then you’re in another world where there’s no time. And suddenly you realize that your dog is whining to go out because 12 hours have gone by. It’s common to every artist, going into that world.”

Rance peppered in a few more stories as he led us back to the door where we came in. We thanked him for letting us interrupt his morning and said our goodbyes. As we were leaving, he explained how the business side of being an artist can be stressful, but when you’re doing something you love it doesn’t always feel like work. It was evident that he loves what he does.

“The work I do is the world where I want to be,” he said. “I’m making the world that I want to live in.”

Visit his website for contact information and to see more of his work: www.brianrance.com