Sharon Butler exhibits Beacon Paintings at John Davis Gallery in Hudson, May 28-June 21

Sharon L. Butler will be among the artists exhibiting in the next exhibit at the John Davis Gallery in Hudson. During the Summer season, in addition to the main gallery space, Davis opens up the four story carriage house in the back as an annex.
Sharon who lives in Connecticut will be exhibiting work that developed from her time working at the Habitat for Artists enclave at Spire Studios last Summer. Here's her statement for this exhibit:

Beacon Paintings

For four months last summer, I spent Mondays in Beacon, NY, working quietly in a solitary 4' x 5' shack. I had heard of a project called "Habitat for Artists" from Chris Albert, a blogger I met during the Blogger Conference at the Red Dot Fair back in March. "Habitat For Artists" was organized by artist Simon Draper, who built twelve small sheds on the grounds of Spire Studios and invited a group of artists to use them for the summer. Traveling to Beacon was more time-consuming than working in one stationary location, and I painted less on days spent there. But by expanding my world, the shack helped enrich my work.

At the beginning of the summer, I was entering a transitional phase, unsure where I was going but confident that the discipline of daily practice would lead somewhere. Though known mainly for Flavin, Lewitt, and Serra's resolutely intellectual brand of minimalism, Dia:Beacon, just a few blocks from my little shack, was featuring installations by colorists Blinky Palermo and Imi Knoebel, which impelled me to consider color more intensely than I ever had before. As the summer unfolded in my shack, I extended the limited, austere palette I'd been using for years to include the entire spectrum.

This series of small paintings is the result of my time spent in Beacon. Their scale, handmadeness, and intuitive form constitute an emotive and spontaneous counterpoint to the cerebral and exhaustive exploration of mathematical and geometric constructs and the meticulous experimentation with industrial materials predominantly showcased at Dia.

Sharon Butler
2009

Sharon will be exhibiting her work on the fourth floor and she'll be joined in the carriage house by EJ Hauser, Molly Herman. Sculpture by Mary Ellen Scherl will be in the garden, and Rosanna Bruno will be in the main gallery. John Davis Gallery is located at 362 1/2 Warren St in Hudson. The exhibits run from May 28 to June 21. There will be an opening reception on Saturday, May 30 from 6-8pm.



Above, is a shot of the ever changing exterior of Sharon's habitat just prior to its dismantling last fall. Below are two of her pieces that were on view for the Dar Williams CD release party at Spire Studios last Sept.


The garden and carriage house at John Davis Gallery.

Here are some images I shot of the carriage house last November when I went up to Hudson to see Martin Bromirski's exhibit Circus on Mars. This Summer space is incredible; full of character and atmosphere. It's a great environment to see work, and it's re-purposed, rustic nature serves as a suitable analog to the habitat environment that spawned the works Sharon is showing.

Above: I don't recall the artist exhibiting on this floor.
Above and below: Martin Bromirski's work


This cot and the Danger sign were both on the same floor as Martin's work. The presence of these two items added a whole "it rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again" vibe to Martin's slash and glitter alien show.