loading
reading
writing
saving
searching
Buster Simpson Signed Abstract Mixed Media - $35 (Seattle)
QR Code Link to This Post
Unique, original framed artwork by renowned Pacific Northwest artist Buster Simpson. The piece features a small, vibrant, central abstract motif rendered in mixed media (colored pencil/marker and ink) set against a expansive, textured neutral paper background.
The piece is pencil-signed by the artist on the front as "Buster Simpson" (stylized as Bus. Simpson) and is dated 1981 with a copyright symbol.
The lower left margin features a distinct, handwritten title in pencil by the artist:
"Overloaded Nerve Endings Taking Precautionary Measures"
An excellent, early collectible piece for enthusiasts of vintage modernism, conceptual art, and notable Northwest artists.
• Artist: Buster Simpson (American, b. 1942)
• Title: "Overloaded Nerve Endings Taking Precautionary Measures"
• Date: 1981
• Medium: Mixed media on paper
• Approximate Size: 14 x 21 inches (framed)
Condition: Pre-owned vintage condition. The frame and paper show character and light wear consistent with its age. Please review the high-resolution photos closely to appreciate the texture of the paper and the details of the signature and inscription.
Understanding the market context for Buster Simpson requires looking at him not just as an individual object-maker, but as a foundational, institutional figure of the Pacific Northwest avant-garde. Because the vast majority of his career has been dedicated to transient, site-specific, and massive public art commissions, his smaller gallery works on paper carry a specific kind of appeal for regional collectors.
Here is a breakdown of his market context, historical footprint, and valuation trends for this specific era:
1. The Artist's Profile & Historical Footprint
• The "Conscience" of Seattle Public Art: Active since the late 1960s (and an early participant at the Pilchuck Glass School alongside Dale Chihuly in 1971), Simpson is widely considered a pioneer of urban eco-art and conceptual institutional critique. His work has heavily shaped the physical landscape of the Pacific Northwest.
• Museum Presence: He is highly vetted institutionally, with a major comprehensive retrospective (Buster Simpson // Surveyor) hosted by the Frye Art Museum in 2013. His works are held in the permanent collections of the Frye Art Museum, the Tacoma Art Museum, the Museum of Northwest Art (MoNA), and the Corning Museum of Glass.
2. Context of the Era (1981)
• The Concept of "Poetic Utility": In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Simpson was deeply engaged in "agitprop" and community interventions in a rapidly changing Seattle. He famously occupied buildings slated for demolition to create art out of discarded architectural materials.
• The Work on Paper: This 1981 mixed-media piece—with its long, highly conceptual, and darkly humorous pencil title ("Overloaded Nerve Endings Taking Precautionary Measures")—is a direct reflection of his early 1980s studio practice. Because his public work was large and collaborative, these intimate, hand-drawn works served as the blueprint for his ideological thoughts on survival, environment, and human stress within urban systems.
3. Auction and Secondary Market Value
Buster Simpson’s work rarely floods the secondary market because so much of it is permanently cited or institutionally held. When it does appear, it generally appeals to dedicated collectors of Northwest Modernism and Conceptualism.
Price is firm. Cash only. Reply to the ones with your phone number.
BARSEAARTX04HM0016289
No 5326 box1