The first blog entry for our new Staff Picks series is by Peter Laughlin, who facilitiates the Folk Art and Music studios. His pick is a wooden box/book by artist Dominic Tufo. Take it away, Peter:
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| Dom Tufo, Book, 2013. Paint and pencil on wood. 11x9x2.5" |
Like much of Tufo’s work, Book can be seen as playful, yet
serious; simple, yet mysterious; unassuming, yet profound. What was initially a pre-fabricated
crafter’s box shaped to appear as a large book is now a piece of abstract folk art. It features four major panels, some of which possess the fantastic
quality of a nursery rhyme, others the feel of a frustrated old textbook.
Tufo, in
his late sixties, has an invariably direct approach to art which allows him to
produce a consistent body of work with the frivolity of Kandinsky and the
intensity of Munch. He works in a
variety of media including wood, paint, pen, pencil, and diverse fibers. In this piece, painted wood and pencil have been applied in
layered fashion. His purity of expression has yielded something which can be
considered both clandestine and conspicuous, created in a sublime state of
truthfulness. Its open-ended construct
is both topical and timeless.
This
lovely piece functions as a coffee table companion, or as a container for secret
keepsakes.
“Book”
by Dom Tufo is available for $35 in the Gateway Craft Store.
