John Puccio drawing on steel.

    You may have your vintage wine placed carefully in one of his steel wine racks, or your favorite summer flowering basket hanging from one of his shepherd hooks. These are only two of the many ironwork objects you will find in his booth at one of the area’s art festivals. But John Puccio’s sculpture has purpose and meaning.

    A native of NYC, John Puccio experimented in painting, plaster, clay, stone and marble until he came to Buffalo in 1985 and worked at Higgins. There he got involved with welders and millwrights and picked up his skills to transform steel into both large and small art objects. His early work involved large scale geometric and figurative pieces which developed into smaller works, expandable to a larger scale for commissions.

Welding Gecko Man

    When I visited him in his studio at 68 Churchill St. off Amherst St., he showed me how he begins, drawing directly on a slab of steel, free-hand with soapstone.

    He had already cut out one of his favorite images, the Gecko, which is a small harmless lizard found mainly in tropical regions. It is one of the primitive fossil rock images found in caves in the Southwest.

    As he welded and heated areas to bend, he says that this one will be dancing. He works intuitively, until he feels it is just right. After hammering the head and tail to give it more expression he says "now I am happier."

    He works on other primitive images of animals which he calls spirit dancers which, in essence, take on a humanistic impression. Like the Gecko, the source for these is in Kokopelli art of the Southwest. Kokopelli was a legendary hump-backed flute player of rock-art origin that was etched in cave walls. He served as a symbol of music, courtship, fertility and assured success in hunting, planting and growing crops to the Navajo, Hopi, Zuni and Anasazi Indians dating back to the third century.

Bending the Gecko until it feels right.

    Today he still represents a positive life force, his message can be anything that brings you happiness and harmony by keeping his likeness near you.

    Two of Puccio’s large scale outdoor figurative dancers which are part of the ‘Adagio Series" can be seen at the Lewiston Art center and at the senior citizen’s center next to Stella Niagara. For these and his smaller sculptures he sites Naum Gabo, Nicolas Pevsner and Alaxander Archipenko, the 20th century modern masters for inspiration, including the drawings of Matisse and particularly Picasso who lacked restrictions and had freedom of style.

    John unwrapped a ten foot female dancer that was standing on a movable cart outside his studio so that I could see it. Her title is "Please Stop Messin’ Around," the title taken from an old blues song. (Did I forget to mention that John used to be a Blues singer in NYC?")

"Please Stop Messin’ Around" by John Puccio

  Here he creates Gabo’s style: 3-dimensions using flat 2-dimensional planes while the dancer moves with the air current. He has also added attire using strands of roofing nails and tied fabric.

    Besides his individual pieces of sculpture, he has worked as consultant and restorer for the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and has fabricated designer railings and patios for local restaurants.

Puccio can be reached at 877-1291 or 553-1765.

Doreen E. DeBoth owns Artsphere Studio located at 466 Amherst Street.