THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 23, 1996 TAG: 9606200184
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 30 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Mary Ellen Riddle
LENGTH: 80 lines
Kent Godwin is a cool dude. He's got curly black hair, wears a toe ring and leans toward the East when it comes to philosophy. He has a black belt in karate, a fondness for French doors and a great sense of humor.
A Durham native, the 53-year-old designer runs his own studio, Design Associates II, in Southern Shores. In the two large rooms reached by a wide, carpeted staircase - complete with huge mousetraps on the walls with defunct computer mouses trapped securely inside - Godwin designs buildings.
Ten years ago you would have found him holed up in a large architectural firm in Durham. ``I discovered that I was a factory worker and got out,'' he said.
Before architecture, there was pre-med school. ``While going to school I supported myself by drawing,'' he said. It finally sunk in that he was not destined to be a doctor. He was cut out, instead, to be a designer. ``This is ridiculous,'' Godwin remembers thinking of his pre-med days. ``So I switched.''
Today, 95 percent of his work is residential. He draws beach homes and cottages that have an old Nags Head-style influence. Godwin grew up embracing tradition, surrounded by the Gothic architecture at Duke University. He'd go there as a youth and sketch the buildings. He was reintroduced to traditionalism when he moved to the Outer Banks.
``One of the reasons people come here is to enjoy that old Nags Head style and that history,'' he said.
Godwin lives by the credo: ``The past embraced within the present with an eye cast toward the future.''
``I use the roof pitches and the mini-offsets in the buildings,'' he said. ``It's reminiscent of houses built back in the late 1800s. . . . Some of the art I do is very personal and private. I think we have somewhat of an obligation to create the structures that are gonna be harmonious with the other buildings that are around it.''
It was more than Duke architecture that got Godwin turned on to the arts. His mother had a dance studio. And his uncle took him frequently to theaters, galleries and operas.
``I was exposed to art very early,'' he said. ``I think I have a natural affinity for the arts anyway.''
In contrast to the Gothic surroundings of his home town, Godwin was exposed to a more Bohemian way of life while taking art lessons. His instructor, Jerry Kaplan, wore paint-covered jeans and a sweat shirt. There was a baby crawling around on the floor with another on Kaplan's wife's hip. Wood, clay and plaster were everywhere.
``And what a thrill it was to be there,'' Godwin said of his days with his former teacher. ``So I guess that was one of my first adventures directed in art endeavors.''
Kaplan exposed Godwin to numerous paints, clay, metal, found objects and wood. And the designer still enjoys variety in his art. He models works in clay. He has a wheel and kiln set up in his bedroom. And he still enjoys crafting with wood.
His father, a tool maker who painted portraits as a hobby, taught him how to use the wood lathe. In two recent Dare County shows - the International Miniature Art Show at Seaside Art Gallery and the Dare County Arts Council Spring Art Show - Godwin exhibited wooden bowls he made on the lathe. The process mesmerizes him.
``The sap sprays up . . . shavings falling at my feet, and to run the tool back and forth there and to watch the grain develop,'' he said lovingly. ``There's a bowl inside. And all you have to do is cut away what's not a bowl. It's being given up to you. It's really a spiritual experience.''
Godwin appreciates simplicity despite being a workaholic who's designed some massive structures. He tools around in an old car that has 223,000 miles on it, dresses in jeans and sandals, and can be found frequently volunteering in the art community.
``I live very simply,'' he said. ``I've never amassed a lot of possessions. I don't form attachments to the projects I do. I don't need my name on it. I don't go see it. I let it go.''
Godwin says he's schizophrenic when it comes to his art. He loves to do everything.
I just hope he keeps making those bowls, for they seem to embody everything he stands for: integrity, natural grace and simplicity all in a curve. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by MARY ELLEN RIDDLE
Kent Godwin's appreciation of tradition is evident in his house
designs. The 53-year-old designer runs his own studio in Southern
Shores. by CNB