Woodworker creates art that begs to be touched
Buddy Shaw had a problem — a big problem. The woodworker’s shop was filled with trash cans of tiny blocks, slender shards and misshapen scraps of wood. The leftovers from his masterpieces were rapidly taking over his shop. What could he do with all these cool pieces of wood that weren’t big enough to transform into furniture?
The burn pile was not an option Buddy could stomach. Instead, he started playing a real-life game of Tetris. He trimmed a bunch of pieces into squares and rectangles and sanded them smooth. Then he started fitting and stacking the blocks together. The result was a one-of-a-kind geometric sculpture. “The wall sculptures are different; they’re abstract,” Buddy says. “Some days I can just literally start laying pieces together and it just flows. There is not a lot of planning involved. They tell a story because it’s all reclaimed wood.”
Buddy’s wall art started as a way to use scrap pieces of lumber. He cleans the small pieces and cuts them into various sizes and thicknesses to give his pieces dimension. “Some days I can just literally start laying pieces together and it just flows,” he says.
The first few wall sculptures Buddy gave as Christmas gifts to his family. They were such a hit, he decided to make a few more and try to sell them. The unique artwork was a perfect complement to the hand-crafted furniture he displays and markets through art shows.
Each year Buddy features his wall art pieces and furniture at around 20 art shows in Missouri and other states.
Buddy is no stranger to the craft of woodworking. His great-great-great-grandfather, Thomas Biggar, came to America from Scotland and specialized in woodworking techniques such as jointing, carving and sculpting. Thomas’ only daughter married Clarence Shaw, and the two men built a woodworking business together. That family business inspired six successive generations through the decades all the way down to Buddy — who nearly broke the streak.
“My father retired from the power plant and owned a cabinet shop in town for 12 years,” Buddy says. “But after 2008 people weren’t building houses and he was ready to retire. I could not afford a giant shop, so I went to school for law enforcement and became a state park ranger.”
Buddy liked the job and it paid the bills, but it didn’t feed his soul. “I just got tired of not making stuff,” he says.
In 2018, Buddy shifted gears and opened Biggar & Shaw, a sculpture, art and design company — appropriately named for his ancestors. “The two of them were the reason I do what I do today,” he says.
Buddy’s portfolio ranges from art to furniture, and every piece is built with a level of quality and unique design only a true craftsman can achieve. Essentially, his furniture is comfortable, sleek and built to last forever.
“There’s definitely a mid-century vibe to my style,” he says. “My pieces are very ergonomic. If you’re going to build furniture, it has to be functional — in my opinion.”
Buddy uses an array of classic woodworking tools, everything from basic saws to high-powered sanders. This sketch showcases his classic chair design.
A key selling point for Buddy’s chairs is they are completely made of wood. Instead of traditional screws, he uses tapered wooden pins and glue to secure each part. “When I started building furniture and didn’t have a lot of tools, I had the idea to not use screws,” he says. “Now I think all-wood chairs are classy and a selling point.”
Most of the time Buddy buys domestic lumber for his furniture and large art pieces. However he’ll occasionally ship in lumber from other countries for certain pieces. He’s also a big fan of transforming reclaimed lumber from barns and buildings — embracing the knotholes, bent nails and imperfections. “I do a search at least once a week on Facebook Marketplace for lumber or old barns people are taking down,” he says.
In his New Bloomfield shop, Buddy measures, designs and constructs his masterpieces from an array of hand and power tools. He’ll often crank out a dozen chair backs at a time, which he’ll follow up with a dozen chair seats on a different day. Finish work is slow, but essential. “Around 80% of my job is sanding,” Buddy says.
Mid-century inspired chairs are Buddy’s most popular furniture pieces. A key selling point is they are completely made of wood. Instead of traditional screws, he uses tapered wooden pins and glue to secure each part.
Chairs are often sealed with a clear coat and black accent paint on the arms and legs. The wall art is similar, with clear coats to put a spotlight on the wood’s texture or black or white paint to unify the piece. To match his mid-century construction, Buddy will occasionally toss in an accent of a vintage color such as teal or orange.
Buddy features his furniture and art at around 20 art shows a year in Missouri and other states. Often his wife, Tracina, and two teenage sons, Hoon and Rutger, join him for shows. His booth is filled with four or five chairs, a custom cabinet and several pieces of wall art. Chairs cost around $1,650 apiece and the wall art can range from $500 to $2,000, depending on the size and complexity.
“With my art you have to see it in person,” he says. “I’m obviously a texture person. You can literally feel the story. I’ll tell visitors my art is hands friendly. I tell people to sit in the chairs — that I’ll be offended if they don’t sit in it.”
Over the years, many people have told Buddy his work stands out because it is masculine. “I’ve never really thought about art being masculine or feminine,” he says. “It’s funny to hear that, but I guess a lot of people like masculine art.”
Buddy’s artwork was driven by the need to use up pieces and parts of wood that featured notches or nail holes. Now he’s buying wood specifically to be used for art. “I do a lot of chairs still, but half of my business is my wall art,” he says.
Whether through an heirloom-quality wooden chair or a brutalist-inspired art piece, Buddy’s work showcases the stories and individuality of wood that’s been stained by time.
To contact Buddy or see more examples of his furniture and art, visit www.thisartisbs.com. You can also follow Biggar & Shaw on Facebook and Instagram.