Char To The World

One of the series of mixed media pieces she did around one of her favorite subjects, those wonderful metal lawn chairs from the '50s and '60s.  She did a series of large-scale paintings of them, based on photographs she'd taken back in the mid-late '70s and early '80s, and she revisited the theme every time she found a new inspiration.

For this particular piece, she actually cut up a Polaroid photo of a chair we had sitting on our deck.  She was chuckling as she made this, stitching the photo down to the background, and I asked her what was so funny, and she just looked at me and grinned and said "Lawn Chairs In Bondage!" 

I got word this evening that the Campaign has gotten the required $100+ initial donation amount, and is now LIVE and SEARCHABLE on the GoGetFunding Site!  I tested it with Firefox and with Chrome, and if you put “Char Busse” in the search box on gogetfunding.com, the page shows up in the search results!  Thus, we are OFFICIALLY PUBLIC, and off and running!  Please pass the link on to your circle of friends!  Thank you!!!!!

https://gogetfunding.com/char-to-the-world-a-project-to-create-a-book-of-the-art-and-life-of-late-artist-char-busse/

This is the seventh in Char’s series she called “Goddess Boogie”.  She began to paint these trios of exuberant dancing goddesses soon after we got together ;-)

This is "Ropin' Cowboy", a mixed media piece Char made in 2010, possibly 2011.  I will research more and correct the dates if necessary..  This marked a new direction in the backgrounds of her collage pieces.  Almost pointillistic dots of contrasting green make for a background that seems to move as you gaze at it.  This one consists of barkcloth from the 1950s and acrylic on canvas board, 20" x 16".  

https://goget.fund/2Zg7bqi 

One of Char's favorite subjects was the old metal lawn chairs from the '50s. She lived in an apartment complex in Denton in the ‘70s that had these around the pool, and she painted a series of canvases based on polaroids that she took.  I have the original polaroids, and will be posting them, as well.  

This, by the way, is the only surviving painting in that original series.  The rest were burned in a fire in the venue where she was showing them.  This one remained safe, only because it was hanging on the wall in her parents’ house, 1,200 miles or so to the north, in iowa.  I have found slides that she took of the lost pieces before they burned, thank goodness, and can use them as a good base to work from for archival purposes.  Acrylic on canvas, 30" x 22".  

https://goget.fund/2Zg7bqi 

This is the first in Char's "Spirit Trees" series.  The paintings in this series were inspired by the moonlight at play on the bare, winter limbs of the massive hackberry trees in the forest we lived in. Acrylic on canvas, 27" x 22"  

https://goget.fund/2Zg7bqi 

This is "Desert Song", a mixed media piece from 1997.  This one has always been one of my favorites.  Hand-tinted photocopy, barkcloth, vintage print fabric, and acrylic on canvas board.  This is one of the coolest matches of piece and frame we came up with.  I had to glue the canvas board to a large piece of heavy mat board, which created a “floating” effect.

https://goget.fund/2Zg7bqi

Hi tumblr, I am starting this blog to tell you about a book project I am undertaking.  Char Busse was a multitalented artist and singer-songrwiter.  I am Byron Beyer, her surviving partner.  This project will result in a coffee-table book showcasing Char’s artwork, music and life.  I will be posting photos that will be in the book, as well as other photos of Char and tales of our life together.  You can read details about the project at the URL below: