he devoted nights and weekends to the development of his “personal work.” In 1984, he showed his paintings to Cumberland Gallery owner Carol Stein who, “speechless” at the quality of this unsolicited work, immediately signed him, beginning a long professional association through which he has earned local prominence and, increasingly, national recognition. Stein says, “It is difficult to pigeonhole Barry Buxkamper’s body of work. Technically, he is right up there with some of the best ‘narrative realists’ of our time. But it is how he uses his imagery and interfaces his concepts with intellectual underpinnings that makes him unique.” With teaching responsibilities at MTSU and representation in art shows in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Chicago, and Miami, Buxkamper is intentional about putting in the hours in his home studio. There, on one wall is a bookcase where telling sources of his curious imagery can be found: a bug collection, toy train, botanical calendar, and farm journal, as well as books on artists, zoology, hummingbird gardens, the Civil War, and even A Short History of Nearly Everything. The opposite wall, illuminated by a bank of track lighting, is the vertical surface on which he tacks his unstretched canvas and actually paints. Although guided by a preliminary drawing, Buxkamper has learned to stay open to imaginative breakthroughs that happen during the process. Pulling a science education catalogue from a shelf, he explains, “It’s not unusual for an idea to trigger an association with a formal element I’ve seen”—pointing to an illustrated cross section of layers of skin that has an architectural look to it—“and that image will become part of the painting.”
Beauty's Big Ol' Tears: Disaster Attendee, 2004, Mixed media on canvas, 44" x 54"
In the quirky content of his works are clues that communicate his thoughts about diverse themes that interest him: human frailty and the increasing tendency for humankind to distance itself from nature. Sometimes his paintings include references to the work of other painters, like Thomas Cole and Albert Bierstadt, or cultural notables like Charles Darwin. Despite the intellectual heft of his work, Buxkamper isn’t interested in coming off as esoteric or mysterious or even serious. In fact, he feels strongly that entertainment has to be a function of art. “When the work doesn’t work well, I think that’s why not. The meanings can remain an entertaining question as long as the audience is reading the information in the painting and having fun with it.” An exhibition of Buxkamper’s work will be presented in the Leu Art Gallery on the Belmont University campus June 4–August 3, 2012, in conjunction with the Tennessee Arts Academy: www.belmont.edu/art/ leu_art_gallery. Barry Buxkamper is represented by Cumberland Gallery: www.cumberlandgallery.com.
Auto Natural with Apologies to Frederick Church, 2011, Acrylic on canvas, 49" x 36 1/2"
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