Bucky: Visible Bucky (Science Hall)

Artist: Philip Salmone (with help from Sarah Gerg)

What is your history as an artist?

My entire life I have always wanted to make artwork that is beautiful, skillful, and meaningful. I have always loved working from life rather than using photography and finding people who knew how to paint like the old masters that I aspired to was next to impossible. After graduating from college here at the University of Wisconsin, I eventually discovered a teacher … and in 2006 moved to New York City to study a classical, traditional approach to drawing and painting. After three years of training, I returned to Madison to make artwork, build a community of artists, share what I had learned, and to continue learning from others. I currently teach at UW and at my studio/school the Atwood Atelier.

What inspired you to come up with this take on Bucky?

I closed my eyes, looked deep within me, and that’s what I saw.

What idea or message do you hope people get out of this piece of art?

Art is a visual language. If I could convey the message in words, then why paint?

What was the process of creating your Bucky like?

I applied with two different designs, but this was the one that was chosen. I started with a number of thumbnails, sketches, color studies, and scoured the internet for over 300 reference images. When I felt like I had an idea of what I wanted, I began sketching on the statue with vine charcoal (~80 hours). I then fixed the drawing with workable fixative and began painting. The entire piece was done in acrylic paint and took 450 hours total. One hundred of those hours were done by my assistant, Sarah Gerg. The project was challenging, but very fun. I enjoyed the opportunity to study anatomy as well working with acrylics again. I underestimated how long it would take, and when I started to realize how much work was ahead of me, I was already enthusiastic about the design and felt committed. Sarah’s help was invaluable.

Of the other Bucky Badgers created, which ones do you like best?

My favorite Buckys were the ones that embraced the object as a three-dimensional piece of sculpture rather than making a painting or design that could have been done on a 2D piece of canvas without relating to the form at all. That said there were a lot of ones treated it almost as a 2D canvas that I liked a lot. Please don’t make me choose – I liked so many of them.