PERRYN BUTLER, ‘DANCING WITH STONE’ EXHIBITION - May 3rd to 29th, 2008
Perryn Butler’s solo exhibition of 3D and 2D works ‘Dancing With Stone’ makes a remarkable marriage of the iconic and the deeply personal. Her spiritual links to the cultures from ancient times undoubtedly underpin, and permeate her creative thought. She has great regard for artistic continuity, in particular the apparent effortless creativity of the artisan; this thread winding through time into the present. One such thread in Perryn’s life is music. As singer and songwriter her images resonate with polyphonic sound and with the movement of sound expressed through dance. Music and images waltz together in delightful synergy. Frequently the dance is connected with courtship, but is mostly about belonging in the many ways human beings find it possible
Sculptural forms are freely worked firstly through lines drawn directly onto stone, gradually firming up into powerful planes, though never losing site of linear echoes. Such works as Cello Man, The Minstrel, and Pas de Deux exemplify the tactile flow to be enjoyed in all Perryn’s works, which is colourfully sustained in the 2D fabric and mixed media works such as Pembrokeshire Polonaise and Rhythm and Blues. One can clearly see she has absorbed and expanded the mantel of synthetic cubism through the interplay of representation and abstraction. This, in an unforced manner, is her natural visual language.
“When I carve, it is a bit like dancing, I become totally absorbed and time and pain is forgotten. There is the tap tap rhythm of the hammer which is hypnotic and calming, and even lines have rhythm. There is an emotional link between me and the stone which some people can feel when they look at my work.”
She has described this process as ‘Going into the silence” a form of deep contemplation. Like all artists, the compulsion to create, to make, is a huge driving force and ideas may rumble ‘…for ages before I pick up a piece of stone. Sometimes I see a lump of stone and know what it is immediately and just know what I have to remove to make it sing. Other times I have a vague idea for one side of a piece and will let it emerge slowly, then it will tell me what I should do on the other facets.”
As a practicing sculptor in Wales for over 25 years Perryn has two workshops, one in Pembrokeshire, the other in Carmarthenshire. She is eager to inspire and guide others through her workshops and has contributed greatly to the artistic life of Wales. Public commissions include an exploration of Welsh and Irish myths and legends in collaboration with Wexford. Nearer to home, in Pembroke Dock, Perryn celebrates the history of the Royal Dockyard (once vital to The British Empire) in six bronze relief plaques which can be seen on the Dockyard wall next to the gun tower.
Formative family years were spent in an artistic household, both her mother and step-father being artists. Whilst Perryn’s artistic forte could be described as visual and musical dance, her sister Charlotte became a prima donna ballerina.
Whether her chosen medium is direct carving in stone or wood, bronze (limited editions of nine), cold cast bronze or 2D in the cubist genre, Perryn’s creative vision is about perceptions and emotions in all their complexities. Without doubt this new body of work is utterly compelling in its timeless serenity.
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