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Minden sculptor never happier than with a pile of junk
by Misty DeLashmutt

The dusty, dark machine shed is crammed with a hodgepodge of metal salvage — boxes, crates and barrels brimming with junk usually destined for a landfill. In the corner, a petite woman wearing an oversized helmet, shapeless green coat and giant gloves sends a shower of sparks arcing to the floor. As fire meets metal, a transformation is taking place; a rusted artifact is becoming artistic form. The woman pauses, throws back the face guard and looks intently at the design. A smile spreads across her face and a laugh erupts from deep within. It’s a loud, resonant, infectious sound that instantly identifies Sally Buss.

Raised on the farm she calls home near Heartwell, Sally indirectly attributes her attraction to metal and found objects to her early exposure to the equipment she saw every day growing up.

“I’ve always had a distorted view of the world,” said Sally. “Even as a child, I looked at things differently. When I looked at equipment I saw a repetition of shape, color and form, I didn’t see a combine or a plow. I always saw the form, not the function.”

Because of her ability to perceive form over function, Sally pursued art as a major at Hastings College, immersing herself in sculpture classes where she discovered metal welding. From the start, she was hooked, but the career path proved daunting for Buss.

Reality check.

“After college, I really got hit with a reality check,” said Sally. “I didn’t want to teach or do graphic art, but what else do you do with a degree in art? I found out fast what the term ‘starving artist’ really meant. I did a little bit of everything to get by, even cleaning houses.”

Sally opened the Buss Stop, a women’s apparel store, in Minden in 1996. The shop became Sally’s priority for the following ten years. “When I opened the Buss Stop, my art became a way of dealing with stress,” she commented. “I… dabbled in art.”

The death of her parents caused her to consider the direction her life was taking.

“After my father died I realized that life was short and that I wanted to do something with my art and I had better do it now,” said Sally. “I decided to close up the shop and pursue my art full time. You never know when you’ll come to the point where you aren’t physically able to do it any more, I didn’t want to get to that point and have regrets. Now, I guess, in the past three years it’s become a job.”

Welding as art.

Welding is an art form in itself, and being able to recognize what type of metal an object is made of is critical to the success of a project. “Some types of metal are very difficult to weld, like things that are cast or galvanized,” she explained. “You need to know what you’re dealing with.”

Buss uses a arc welding process called MIG (metal inert gas) welding to attach the metal salvage pieces together to create her sculptures. She uses this process because it is the easiest way to attach things together. “When people find out I know how to weld, they’re always teasing me about fixing their boat trailers,” laughed Sally. “I don’t think they would want me welding on their trailer.”

Although some special commission pieces require new material because of dimension and size stipulations, Sally prefers to use primarily ‘found’ objects for her metal sculptures. She routinely scours junk yards and auctions looking for scrap metal and odds and ends that draw her eye and have potential as a medium. Living in a farming community also helps, Sally comments, she routinely receives gifts of metal scraps and salvage from her neighbors. “Nothing makes me happier than a pile of junk,” she laughs.

Art for art’s sake.

The mass production of her art holds little appeal for Buss, although she knows it might prove profitable. She even resists the temptation to repeat a design more than once, much to the dismay of customers who want something they’ve seen elsewhere replicated.

“I try to emphasize art for art’s sake, not the mass production of a product,” explained Sally.

“Right now, with the green movement so popular, my recycled art has been selling very well,” Sally commented, ‘so I’ve been doing a lot of pieces with salvage. I try to keep it pretty simple, and let the form speak for itself.”

The time it takes for Sally to complete a piece varies. Rarely does she complete a piece the same day she start it, and she usually has several pieces going at one time. “If I have a good day, I can whip out two or three projects, but that is a really good day with no interruptions,” she commented. “When I have a show or before my open houses in the spring and fall, I really get rolling,” she remarked. “I set dates and make the artwork, I don’t make the artwork and then set the date. It gives me a goal. I like to cater the venue to the show; it keeps my work fresh and keeps people coming to see it.”

Sally Buss’ artwork can be seen at the Minden Coffee House in Minden among other venues.

Misty DeLashmutt is editor of the Minden Courier, where this article originally occurred.

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