November 15, 2019

 

The artwork of Robert Tucker is heavily influenced by nature, often including creeping lines, organic shapes, and even scraps of the outdoors themselves. Tucker’s art is not limited to a single medium, and throughout his extensive career has branched into any number of expressions such as painting, sculpture, or even collage. In all of his works, there is a heavy dose of what can only be describe as spirituality. Flora and fauna become indicative of something much greater. They stand for the persistent lifeforce so often neglected or ignored as technology has consumed ever more of the world’s time and vision.

Acid Garden-Cocoon Series is an example of Tucker’s collages. They contain scraps such as paper moth wings, clipped out mushrooms, and flower buds that look as if they were snipped out of a botanical textbook. Arranged as they are and interjected by abstract green and brown construction paper leaves, it can easily read as a two-dimensional keepsake box. It feels sacred, as if it has held treasures that have been passed down through generations; perhaps pressed snugly in the pages of a well-worn book. In this way, the tiny collage of greens and oranges emphasizes the inheritance of the natural world from one child to the next, to keep safe and protect or dare to even acknowledge.

Robert Tucker has been producing artwork since the 1980s. His work was originally shown predominantly within Detroit, but in recent years, Tucker’s work has been shown at galleries across the United States and can be found in collections abroad. Tucker’s influence by the natural world was in large part due to his frequent exploration of his grandmother’s garden. His childlike wonder and amazement at the microscopic marvels around him has never ceased.

Written by Samantha Hohmann 

 

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