Brewster was born in Eugene, Oregon in 1946. He spent a majority of his youth in São Paulo, Brazil as an expatriate between 1950 and 1964. In high school, he became fluent in Portuguese and developed an interest in theater and set design. Brewster returned to the United States in 1964 to attend Pomona College, in Claremont, California. After graduating in 1968 with a B.A in Sculpture, he continued on to Claremont Graduate School (now Claremont Graduate University) to receive his M.F.A in 1970.
