Tappahannock Artists Guild welcomes spring with its newest exhibit, featuring the works of Essex County native Lee Butler. The show opens on Friday, April 5, with a reception from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Tappahannock Art Gallery, 200 Prince Street, in the historic downtown district. The public is invited to visit the gallery, browse the art, meet the artist and enjoy light refreshments.
Butler will feature about 25 works: paintings, prints and one drawing. He has focused on landscapes, which have been the center of his efforts for the past several years. The exhibit continues through April 28. The gallery is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from noon until 4 p.m. On Wednesdays, TAG opens at 10:30 a.m. for group painting/open studio. The gallery is closed on Sundays and Mondays.
Lee Butler grew up in Essex County and has lived in the Washington, DC area for the past 35 years. While working in nonprofit management, he studied painting, sculpture and printmaking, first at the Corcoran School of Art and Design, and from 2005 at the Washington Studio School (WSS).
From 2019 to 2023, he was a student in the masters certificate program at WSS and had his graduation exhibit there in May 2023. In recent years, he has also exhibited his work at the Allegany Arts Council in Cumberland, MD.
“I start work from what I see around me, but the image that develops on the surface of a painting or drawing soon becomes more important than the original prompt, Butler said. “A painting might remind me of the place where I made it, but most people who see the painting won’t see that place. I try to work quickly, with a variety of materials: paintings with oil and casein paints, monotypes with ink and crayon,” he said. “If I can capture some part of what strikes me about a scene at a particular moment, I hope it will remind people, looking at the work, of something they’ve seen before, too.
Also, on Sunday, April 7, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Butler will lead a demonstration and workshop at TAG: Experiments With Monotypes. These prints have been an important part of studio practice for many artists since the 19th century. Combining elements of drawing, painting, and printmaking, monotypes can be made with a variety of materials and techniques, and provide interesting opportunities for exploring mark, color, and composition. While a press is often used to produce monotypes, it is not necessary. Successful prints can be made by hand, as with wood or linoleum block prints.
During the workshop, Butler will discuss how he makes monotypes part of his studio routine and will demonstrate some simple techniques and materials for getting started. Participants will create a few prints of their own. The focus will be on methods that do not require a press, but the instructor will have a small press available and will demonstrate its use. All materials will be provided. For more information and to register for the workshop, visit https://tapparts.org/2024/03/18/experiments-with-monotypes/.
