The Indelible Artistic Journey of Mount Olive Artist Chris Buonomo

For Chris Buonomo, being an artist is an obsession. 

“I have to make — it’s so intrinsic into the fabric of who I am that if I'm not creating I’m miserable,” says the craftsman. 

It’s not only about the finished product, especially with carving, it is also in Buonomo’s mind the journey to find the sculpture that resides inside of the material.

“It’s there; I have to find and release it from that stone or piece of wood,” he says. “It becomes collaborative, we have to work together — the material and I.”

The artist may see a piece of stone or wood and know what’s there.  Other times it’s a longer process to reveal itself. He has so much stone and wood stockpiled even when he’s not working on a particular piece they are part of his space.  

“We feed off each other,” he says. 

According to the craftsman, stone exists for millions of years whether he touches it or not. He feels more protective with wood because it’s an organic material that will decay and die on its own. This is his way to give the trees a second life.  

Buonomo lets the artistry do the speaking. It’s about finding balance between what he wants to make and what he knows people want.  

”Fossil" Silver Maple and welded steel, a Chris Buonomo creation

 He dreams vividly and often remembers the dreams enough to write them down.  Many of his paintings come out of interpretations of those dreams. 

“Despite how physical carving can be and banging on rock or wood all day,” the artist says for him painting is more emotionally charged (and draining) than sculpture.

In this day and age he says the challenge is carving out a life financially as an artist, while raising a family and still finding time to create. 

“Whenever I had periods of reluctance to keep working and got artistically depressed, my wife Amanda is my number one supporter,” says the craftsman. “Having that rock behind me has been the most fortunate thing.” 

So he keeps pushing himself to create harder and harder carvings, more difficult paintings, more fragile stonework — and is rewarded with those moments (whether he’s doing a festival/ gallery opening/or showing at the house) when someone loses themselves in one of his pieces.

“The greatest honor is they want something you created to be a part of their life and home; it becomes part of their family,” Buonomo says people work hard for their money and are willing to spend it on (his) fine art. “I never take that for granted.” 

He tries to price his work where he can put it in as many homes as possible. 

“I’d rather sell 10 pieces more economically than one piece for huge money,” says the artist. 

Social media has helped Buonomo sell himself, which didn’t exist 20 years ago.

“It has allowed me to form relationships with people,” he says. “They love being part of the process of commission.” 

Looking back, the craftsman had the opportunity to apprentice with a master stone carver in Prague. Since he’s been home in Mt. Airy, Pennsylvania (somewhat rural part of Philly) for 20  years after working traditionally/figuratively — he’s become more abstract in his thinking.

“Art is my release but also my job and you’re not giving yourself any credit if you create work you can’t sell,” says Buonomo. “Abstract these days is much easier to market and sell than figurative work.” 

If money was no object, he would carve figurative like Victorian funerary sculptural mourning figures because they are powerful and emotional.

“Sculpture for me is about line, form, movement and space,” the artist says he uses heavy, stagnant materials like wood and stone and tries to give them weightlessness. “I want them to look like they’re dancing.”

In essence, everything he makes is a self-portrait, a glimpse into his psyche. And he says one is tender when people look at your work for the first time.

As a kid he always drew. In school if Buonomo drew the bulletin board for the teacher he might not have to complete an assignment other students were doing. He used drawing for kids for their projects and trade work. 

And the craftsman spent a lot of time in the woods growing up in Mount Olive. That’s where he developed his love of trees and solitude.

“I paint lots of trees. Especially winter trees with no leaves; they’re naked, exposed, nothing to hide,” says the artist. “That probably goes back to my vulnerabilities expressed through painting.  By the time I was in high school, I jumped on the train to spend time in New York City. Mount Olive was the best of both worlds for me.”

Art was going to be part of Buonomo’s life one way or another, he just didn’t know how. After  high school (Mount Olive had a great photography department and still does) he was set on being a photographer.

He had painted a little but was so enamored with photography he went to University Arts in Philly.

“As soon as I took that three dimensional class and had an opportunity to make with my hands, I knew it was my primary focus going forward and photography was over,” says the craftsman. “(There were) stretches where I didn’t paint… but I always sculpted.”

Society without art is dead, according to Buonomo. People might not think art is important but it is all around them.

“I felt I was given a gift and to not use it and share it would be sad,” he says. 

He would like to take on a couple more students. Everything he creates is in a private collection — so the artist would love to do a large stone public piece. 

And he has stepped up as managing director of the Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Show in Philadelphia. 

The 52-year-old knows people who are starting to talk retirement but that’s the last thing on the craftsman’s mind.

“I don’t have anything to retire from,” Buonomo says he will create as long as he is physically able. “Maybe down the road I open a gallery storefront somewhere. Disappear into the woods and have all the time to create is a pretty good sounding idea.” 

For more information, visit www.13degreestudios.com or www.instagram.com/cabuonomo.