The Bearded Brush displays handmade crafts, art
Just about everything in Mark and Gabi Weeks’ new store — The Bearded Brush Art & Gift Gallery in downtown Castle Rock — is handmade or handcrafted, whether it’s jewelry, baskets, scarves, candles, pottery or stained glass.
It’s also the perfect showcase to display and sell the watercolors and other artwork Mark creates.
“He is the ‘bearded brush,'” said Gabi Weeks, her German accent a giveaway of her fewer than three years in the United States.
The Weeks opened The Bearded Brush on Feb. 1, moving their business from Winlock, where they operated a shop for the previous year. “The people and businesses in Castle Rock have been so welcoming,” said Gabi, 54.
Mark, 56, said he’s been painting “for as long as I can remember.” A high school art teacher challenged him to go beyond the cartooning he was doing at the time, and he later attended the Art Institute of Seattle while working construction on the Kingdome.
Mark works mostly with water colors, graphite and colored pencil. His paintings and illustrations range from wildlife to whimsical, dancing mice, along with calligraphy. He also does custom work.
