Thomas Bucci [NRA 2019]

First name: Thomas ;
Middle name:  ;
Last name: Bucci ;

Member: Non-Resident artist member ; 
Begin: January 29, 2019 ;
End: n/a ;

Biography:

It was around 1970 at the age of 10 when I began drawing cartoon characters and people I saw on TV. I sketched the characters in the Watergate hearings as they were televised live at that time. I was encouraged when people recognized my renditions and complimented me. In some ways you could say Richard Nixon got me started in art.

I was born in a small industrial town in Western NJ. The architecture of the old factories and mills is still vivid in my mind. The way that buildings and other man made elements collage together to make the fabric of a city or town appeals to me. I try to convey that in my paintings.

I went to art school to study painting and left with a Bachelors Degree in Graphic Design. I went on to earn a Masters of Architecture. After a few years working as an architect, I returned to my original plan, and started making paintings of the built environment.

Thomas BUCCI has been living in Washington DC and working full time as a professional artist since 1996.

Watercolor was my first love. The ability to quickly suggest form with loose washes and conjure the illusion of detail with crisp brushwork has always appealed to me. I’ve chosen watercolor for its gestural quality, capriciousness, and spontaneity. The way I approach watercolor requires me to work quickly and I’m willing to take the risks associated with that to fully realize its potential.

I am always actively looking for ideas for paintings. Sometimes the scene serves up a ready painting idea and I just have to put it down on paper. More often ideas come from something less complete; a glimpse of atmospheric effects, the way sunlight lands on a surface, or an element in a landscape. The most important part of painting for me is not actually painting, but the mental preparation that I’m doing all the time, but I do paint at every opportunity. Small pencil or watercolor sketches are also a key part of my process.

I paint in the studio but I prefer to work from life and on location, drawing inspiration directly from a subject. However, I treat what I see in front of me as a suggestion that can be manipulated as needed. A painting is not bound by existing light conditions, actual colors, or physical elements. I often move, eliminate, and add things to make a composition. This is the real joy of painting for me. I feel a painting is successful when I envision the result first and then make that happen. If a painting succeeds without a plan, it’s just luck.

https://thomasbucci.com

Artworks: