Lost (at See) Dave Buetsche Master’s Thesis Exhibition

Raising our family in an urban neighborhood surrounds our children with a diverse mixture of people doing interesting and unexpected things.  Even after living in Newport for 17 years, I still find myself routinely awed and astonished by the creative spirits that city living attracts.  Artist David Buetsche is one of those spirits.

Dave and his wife, Kelly, moved to our street a couple of years ago.  Since then, they’ve turned one of the oldest houses on our historic street into a home that reflects an eye for beauty.

While teaching industrial arts at Elder High School in Cincinnati’s Western Hills, Buetsche has been working on completing his Master of Arts in Art Education at the Art Academy of Cincinnati.  A culmination of his work to that end "lost (at see)" is on exhibit at the Pearlman Gallery in Over-the-Rhine.

True to his generous personality and clear passion for sharing art with the next generation, Dave graciously invited us to bring the boys to the Final Friday gallery opening reception.

Out in the Distance  |  David Buetsche

My nine year old son was especially interested in a piece titled "Out in the Distance."  Buetsche combines startlingly bright, abstract elements with a more realistic suggestion of natural mountains across the top.  Painted on wood, he leaves a lower quadrant of the panel deliberately bare to allow the graining texture and colors of the surface to become part of the work.

My son asked him why he decided to leave a portion of the panel unpainted.  Dave explained that he enjoys exploring relationships ("friendships" he called them - great choice of words to illustrate what he meant to a kid!) between colors and textures, especially when combinations are unexpected.

I love that Dave was willing to go into educator mode with the boy for a moment.  Communicating with kids at their level, choosing language they can easily understand, comes naturally to him..

Contourtion  |  David Buetsche

 

The boys were fascinated by the sheer scale of Buetsche’s sculptures, and admired his use of ordinary items like rope and shredded tires to create interesting visual compositions.

All the pieces in the exhibit were created using a mix of media including oils, acrylics, spray paint, varnish, tar, wood, rubber and even duct tape.

I have to say, my favorite was the show's title piece "Lost at See."  Depicting an ocean horizon, the colors suggest an ominous, and yet seemingly calm seascape spanning out into the deep.  

Lost at See  |  David Buetsche

The work has a contemporary, acidic feel to it with a steely depiction of water and a lower graphic portion that is an exercise in color and balance to the reflection on the water in the distance above.  Its view into the unknown is simultaneously frightening and hopeful.

Hmmm.  That description could also be applied to the perspective of a startup entrepreneur and inventor - almost every day.  No wonder it resonated!

Buetsche's "lost (at see)" remains on exhibit until August 3, 2012.

See it: 

Art Academy of Cincinnati - Pearlman Gallery 

1212 Jackson Street  Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 

513-562-6262

All exhibitions are free and open to the public. 

MAAE Thesis Show Hours are Monday - Friday from 9-9  |  Saturday and Sunday from 9-5. 

If you are interested in learning more about Art Academy of Cincinnati's Master's of Arts in Art Education program, click here.

Photos by Michelle Spelman, published with permission of the artist.  

All artwork depicted in photographs in this article is property of David Buetsche.  All Rights Reserved.

I am delighted each time we cross paths with a neighbor doing good things with their creative talents.  If you, or someone you know, is doing good things in the East Row, please contact me. I'd love to hear about them.