Artwork copyright Charles Pebworth. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Charles Pebworth. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2016.

This is the Place We Know, 1984

Charles Pebworth
American (born 1926, died 2019)

Location: Renton Technical College, Renton

About the Artwork

Charles Pebworth's This is the Place We Know is a relief wall sculpture made with multiple types of metal and stone. It references both the artist's Choctaw heritage and modernist design. It contrasts warm organic elements with the cold metal materials. It also contrasts the hand-made details with the overall machined and fabricated look of the sculpture.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Renton Technical College.

About the Artist

Texas-based artist Charles Pebworth (1926-2019) is best known for his metal relief sculptures. He combines contrasting materials with elements of the personal and abstract to create imaginative, geometric compositions.
Pebworth grew up in Oklahoma, and his father was a member of the Choctaw tribe. He enlisted in the U.S. Army at the end of World War II (1939-1945) and re-enlisted at the start of the Korean War (1950-53) where he was deployed to Japan and Korea. Pebworth used the G.I. Bill to earn an undergraduate degree from the University of Houston in Texas and a Master of Fine Arts degree in sculpture from Louisiana State University. He taught art at Sam Houston State University in Texas from 1957 to 1993. In 1987, Pebworth was designated Texas Artist of the Year.