Saturday, June 23, 2012

A Studio Visit With Sharon Butler





Recently I stopped by the Bushwick studio of Sharon Butler just as she was preparing for her next solo exhibit at Real Art Ways in Hartford, CT.
Butler's paintings seem to hold fast to the strictures of Minimalism but a closer inspection reveals a sensitiveness to form, a subtle use of color, and the importance of drawing sometimes found missing from that genre.
That is not to say that Butler's work lacks discipline. Indeed, a mental and technical exactness are displayed as an idea is explored with a deft layering of forms and line that shows the maker's mind at work. This rigor is very often contrasted with the impulsive way the work is presented- often on un-stretched linen, pinned to the wall, or with supporting stretchers partially exposed. The result is painting that often combines the frankness and intellect of the Conceptual, with the fragility, pictorial inventiveness, and longing of the Modern.
















Sharon Butler's work will soon be on view at Real Art Ways in Hartford, CT. The show will open on September 20, 2012. 
Check back here for further details as the event draws near.
To view more of Butler's work visit her website here. Sharon Butler is an art professor at Eastern Connecticut State University and is the editor of the art blog, Two Coats of Paint.

2 comments:

Terry Greene said...

Fantastic post Paul - the work looks terrific and a great summery/introduction to the artists approach.

Paul Behnke said...

Thanks Terry. I'm looking forward to seeing Sharon's new show.