Heritage of family

TIFFIN --- Looking at a Charles C. Poignon III painting, one can make out a slight stain of cigar smoke, an item that was always affixed to his person. Charles, born in 1914, was an artist from the earliest memories of his family. In a 1984 article in an edition of The Advertiser-Tribune where Charles was featured, Charles stated he had "run out of something to do," when talking about his start. In the 1984 article, Charles said he started painting 20 years prior, starting with a "paint by numbers." From then on, he started painting on cardboard and used brushes, sticks and spray cans to apply the paint. "He was an artist from the get-go," Jim Poignon, (Charles was his cousin) said. Charles had no formal training and would usually complete work in a few hours. Jim said he was unsure when Charles started painting/drawing, but said he filled his entire home. "He was always in the woods, gathering fossils and fungus from trees," Jim said. Charles would use the fossils and fungus and paint images in them of what he saw. For example, if he saw a snake image in the fossil, he would paint a snake, Jim said. His artwork also won awards, for instance, he took first place in an art show at Heidelberg University with his painting of a violin, entitled "Vibrations." Charles was continuously painting. This led him to repurpose canvas and materials, including the frames of his paintings. He would use anything he could find, Jim said. "He was good at putting things together," he said. Charles served in the U.S. Army as a sergeant. He served in Iran and spent over three years in the Persian Gulf. There he would still paint, but in a letter home from 1941, he complained he couldn't paint because of the over 100-degree heat. Charles was a member of the Tiffin Art Club. The family was also involved with the Tiffin Glass scene, having worked in the Tiffin Glass Factory. Poignon family members are now the owners of Charles' paintings. Charles painted so many artworks he would paint and give the works away to family or people in the community. Charles painted almost anything and everything. He painted wildlife, landscapes, sea and waterscapes and everything in between. In a 1984 article it is said of Charles, if he was in a good mood he would paint using bright vibrant colors, but if his mood was bad, he would use dark and dour colors. "The type of paintings you make depends on your mood," Charles stated in the 1984 article. "When you are depressed, you paint something dark. When you're in a good mood it is usually something colorful." In addition, if Charles didn't like what he was painting, he would just turn the canvas and start over. Another fact about Charles' paintings, the family is also still finding hidden figures in Charles' paintings to this day. A new generation To view some of the paintings, The Poignon Project, 227 E. Perry St., has a dedicated corner to Charles' work. Ryan Poignon, owner of the studio, is Charles' third cousin. "His work reflects how our family is always outdoors and exploring," Ryan said. "This is the heritage of my family." "This is my family history," Ryan continued. "I wish he was still around to experience what I have," Charles died in January 2001 of throat cancer. He was a 1934 graduate of Columbian High School. He served as a service representative from the Ohio Power Company for 39 years. Ryan remembers a time walking into his basement as a young child and seeing his first art studio. "I saw all the unfinished projects, paint, brushes and mason jars," he said. Ryan said he and Charles share the same ideology when it comes to reusing and repurposing materials. "As a child and seeing a grown adult playing with paints, I idolized that," Ryan said. "It was an experience just walking down there. It was something else." Ryan said you can see the same method of repurposing materials in his early art. "I just used what was around me, which is all he was doing," he said. "You don't have to go to an art store and spend all this money on a canvas. You can find ways to create within your budget. Just look at what you have." Ryan said that goes into the same work he and his wife Monica Poignon are doing with the Community Art Shed. "We want to give kids the ability to make those kinds of choices," Ryan said. "To create using just random junk. Anyone can be an artist."