GRAND RAPIDS — John Bauer has felt he’s always had an artistic eye. He credits it back to when he was a kid and his mother had a glass bottle of Oil of Olay.
“It was just a shiny clear glass and the lotion was pink. And ever since that moment I have been interested in art,” Bauer said on Area Voices during the KAXE Morning Show.
His found object sculpture work didn’t start until about three years ago after his retirement. With more time to do artwork, he started putting items together and really enjoyed it.
Bauer gets items from everywhere. He will look in dumpsters, garage sales, wood debris, and sometimes, people will come to him with things.
“I just feel that you can make something beautiful out of something that maybe is forgotten,” he said.
For his process, he said he has the items gathered in his space and then ignores it for a while. Then, maybe a few months later, an idea will come to him for a sculpture.
“I don't really have a structure. It's just like my normal life," he said. "It's just chaotic and just whatever happens.”
As for how he knows when a sculpture is done, Bauer said he can just feel it in his body. He’ll walk by it every day to see if things need to be added or if there’s too much on it. He believes in simplicity.
Every piece Bauer makes has a message. He puts the number “988” on all his creations, which is the number of the Suicide and Crisis Hotline. Bauer lost his daughter to suicide, and the number serves as a reminder that help is available to those in need.
Bauer has found multiple ways to keep his sculptures together like glue, nails, and he’s currently trying to learn how to do wire welding. However, one of his favorite parts of the process is tearing things apart. He finds it fun.
Bauer has created a routine where he goes out every morning at 8 a.m. and sometimes he gets so lost in the process he’ll be ready for lunch and it’s already 4 p.m. He also finds inspiration in magazines, from the backgrounds of pictures.
However, an important part of the process for Bauer is bouncing around between projects. He dabbles in painting for a little bit and then comes back refreshed for sculptures.
Bauer's pop-up show will be from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday, June 6, in Room 212 at the Old Central School. Bauer looks forward to having an audience for the work. His work was featured at the MacRostie Art Center a few years ago, and recently at Art-a-Whirl in Minneapolis.
“I just like to watch people's response to my stuff.”
Tell us about upcoming arts events where you live in Northern Minnesota by emailing psa@kaxe.org.
Area Voices is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
