Rex Cravat  continued…

All the people Rex beat playing pool at Fran’s Pub in New Hope, PA  admired Rex --  especially Joe Scurti, who was one of the few at Fran’s who could occasionally beat Rex.  They became best of friends.  One night at Fran’s Rex had even more fun than usual.  He met beautiful blonde twins, Carol and Claire, who became great friends as well.

 Rex’s former student D.J. Westley came to Lambertville to join his mentor.  (See a photograph of D.J. and Rex hiking in Pennsylvania at right.)  Rex obtained at least two new students while his studio was in Lambertville.  He was an amazingly giving  teacher who gained both the respect and love of his protégés.  Rex also found a wonderful colleague and friend in artist Judy Corey who encouraged Rex to  seriously explore marble-making.   

At about 3:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 11, 2001, our good friend and colleague Rex B. Cravat took his own life.  This was not an impulsive act of desperation, but a calculated attempt to save his family and close friends the “burden” of caring for him.  Rex wrote to say that he was ill and was convinced that death was imminent. Brion Galleries sorely misses Rex Cravat’s support and friendship even more than his artistic perfection.  A week after he died, a three column article appeared in The (Trenton) Times by fine arts writer Janet Purcell with the headline:  “Glass sculptor has a full-blown talent.”  Ms. Purcell was distress that Rex never got to see it.

Rex’s East-coast friends Charlie Gottschall and Carol Ford.  They are standing in front of Charlie’s paintings The Last Winter (left) and Backyard Roses, in the Field View Gallery at Brion Galleries, Lambertville.

Rex is pictured (at right) with his
friend and student D.J. Westley  (at left) hiking
at Ringing Rocks, PA.

Eagle Landing, by Rex B. Cravat, 6” h.
flame-worked hard glass, frosted.

 This is one of the displays Rex built for his glass sculptures
at Brion Galleries.  The  center cased sculpture is a bird nest
scene which is pictured in close-up  on the
first page of Rex’s biography. 

 Rex even made the case