Mating Dance Print

Brock Butler is a Kilkenny based artist. His work has been exhibited in galleries in Dublin,Galway, Belfast, London and Berlin as well as at various arts festivals and international art fairs. Collectors of his work include financier Dermot Desmond and Senator David Norris. He is listed in the current edition of The Buyers Guide to Irish Art Artist's statement ; Songs without Words People often ask the question (particularly with abstract art) "What is it about ? " This can be a difficult question to answer , because even though there may be ideas and concepts that inform a painting , there is not always an easily articulated narrative , as there would be with writing or with figurative or landscape painting. I compare it to the appreciation of music , which most people can listen to and appreciate aurally without feeling the need to understand what it is "about" Songs with lyrics may often tell a story , but even then , the music is usually the thing that we respond to primarily. A painting (of any kind ) could be compared to a musical composition , with shapes ,lines, colours, orchestrated together to form a whole, as musical notes and sounds are arranged to form a musical composition each individual's response to a painting , therefore can vary according to their own interpretation, experience and current psychological perspective However , it can be interesting to know the artists intent and the following is a general guide to some aspects of my own work. i don't think it is particularly important for a viewer to understand my intentions - just like a song, if the music doesn't elicit a response, clever lyrics alone will not make it successful , and similarly , paintings with clever or esoteric concepts will not make a successful painting if it does not also appeal as a purely visual experience. SYMBOLISM A number of symbols or motifs tend to keep recurring in my work ; As a general guide, spheres and circles represent an aspiration toward completeness, harmony, serenity, peace and self-fulfillment. However, they often contain apparently random splashes or distressed effects, indicating that the state of completeness must encompass much chaos and confusion, and often sorrow, and to experience joy and love, we must know pain and loss.