Striking Balance: The Art of Jason Breitenbucher of AzArtistry

The attractions of the natural world and the modern world so often seem to pull us in opposite directions.  Where some might find an endless struggle or impasse, Jason Breitenbucher of AzArtistry finds balance through his custom fine art.  He writes:

Native to Arizona, where I reside – my body bound and shaped by the arching spires of concrete buildings that encircle the city of my youth.  My inspiration, a compass within, is magnetically drawn to the ancient halls of nature where I always return.  It is here where my love for creating artistic designs is forged and grounded, and threading a common fabric comprising my work, bridging our innate union with a natural world and what we see when we wake in this modern world.

In Jason’s Solvolare series (featured previously in a blog post on kinetic custom sculpture), a city perched on a cantilevered arc finds balance between the sun, moon, and sky, a harmonious creation of wood, metal, and LED lights.  Both the cloudy sky above (with rebar repurposed as rain) and the cityscape below span gracefully across space like bridges.

Solvolare - A Series of Balancing Cities by AzArtistry at CustomMade.com

You can see this piece in motion in the following video clip.

The kinetic Solvolare demonstrates that balance is, after all, a balancing act, not a passive fact.  We can create unity and find harmony even among the disparate elements of our surroundings.  Here are a few more examples of Jason’s bridge building and balancing acts in other commissioned sculptures and paintings.

Terrene means “earth” or “of the earth,” and the Terrene series landscape panels “explore balance through opposing materials.”  Reclaimed wood and carved stone represent the natural world while rebar and other metals reference the modern world.  But the natural and the modern don’t just stay in their respective corners.  In this panel, “Religiosa,” a large ficus religiosa leaf is etched in metal.  As Jason explains, this translation, this movement, of leaf to metal revealed something to him:

I will never look at a leaf the same again, after trying to replicate nature in colors and detail and realizing in amazement the beauty that goes into something as simple as a leaf that has been stripped of chlorophyll and returned back to the earth in ritual.

And the patina finish on the flagstones in the corners can turn stone into wood:

I didn’t want that typical southwest flagstone look, and when looking at it your mind is telling you that the texture is stone, but it looks like it’s a finished piece of wood, I am liking that.

The natural world is not inert or unchanging.  The sun and moon return in this panel, with the moon contained in a box in the frame made of reclaimed mahogany, waiting for the day to end for its turn in the sky.

"Religiosa," from the Terrene Series Landscape Panels by AzArtistry at CustomMade.com

Are you more at home indoors?  No matter.  Your interiors have landscapes, too, and Jason can create custom artwork that is designed and sized for a particular spot, inspired by its surroundings, like these painted art panels.

Painted Art Panels by AzArtistry at CustomMade.com

Have an inspiration for custom fine art? Jason can also build a bridge between his artistic vision and his client’s wishes.  He writes:

Beginning with a clear visual design process, and ending with the final finishing touches, my success in making the process creative and enjoyable for my client is its own reward.  I believe the final product is a collaborative work where the clients existing tastes and designs are pulled into the creative process, reflecting a part of them as much as me.

Share your ideas with AzArtistry and see where the creative process can lead.