3rd Quarter Featured Artist: Joe Bussell

A contemporary artist, Bussell uses fragments of his own history to tell the story of time and place in his abstract works.

“In the process of making 2-D or 3-D art, I add what makes sense and subtract what doesn’t. That is a process that can take years or be realized in a day,” Bussell explains. “What I add or what I keep represents my history, dreams, memories, and personal aesthetic. I want the finished piece to translate the psychological loop and tell a complete story.”

Busell has maintained his professional contemporary art practice for more than 40 years. He currently has an indoor/outdoor studio in Kansas City, Kansas.

Internationally respected, Bussell has been featured extensively in solo and group exhibitions throughout the United States and Europe. He and his work have also been highlighted in numerous publications around the world.

He says the development of his “visual language” took on new heights while he was living in London, Boston, Los Angeles, and various Midwest cities. His experiences working at an AIDS hospice for five years are seared into his work.

His drawings, paintings and sculptures find expression through ceramics and mixed media.

Bussell holds a bachelor of fine arts degree in painting from Kansas University and earned a master of fine arts degree in painting and ceramics from Washington University in St. Louis.

CCB associates can view Bussell’s work in the BGT Lobby beginning Friday, August 5. It will be on display throughout the third quarter.