Charlie Lucas

Charlie Lucas

As a child Charlie Lucas took refuge from life’s hardships in making things to play with, taking them apart, and remaking them. He didn’t consider himself an artist. He was just making toys. In 1984 while recuperating from a major back injury at work, Charlie resolved to spend the rest of his life doing what he loved to do. He called his new artistic identity “Tin Man.”

Now Charlie spends happy days driving around in his truck, collecting other people’s cast-offs, and bringing the so-called trash back to life in a new form. He cuts, bends, weaves, and welds scrap metal into fantastic assemblages filled with faces and motion. His paintings are abstract views of people and animals involved in life’s struggles and joys. He paints on scrap wood, adds more scrap objects, and uses salvaged materials for frames. He says the scraps and parts speak their stories to him even before he cuts and welds them together. Charlie can tell a story for every piece of art he creates, but he also encourages viewers to look for themselves and make up their own stories. He refers to his creations as “toys.”

Charlie’s message to the children and adults that come to learn from him is that many things in life are not pretty & shiny. We have to be willing to see the value of the ugliness as well.

Selma & Pink Lily, AL

"Tin Man" describes the life and art of Charlie Lucas from a unique point of view - that of Charlie himself. The artist shares his painful life experiences and opens the door to his creations.

Beautiful photos of his work are included. Check it out!

Published by The University of Alabama Press

Available on Amazon