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Melissa Button

Artist Statement:
It was through my studies in architecture that I began to explore the delicate balance between the natural world and the way in which life imposes its structure upon it. In many ways my work still encompasses these same ideas. I seek to capture a moment where order/structure and chaos/nature merge with one another revealing an undefined beauty and balance that supersedes the individual and is a part of all things. The factory-scapes represent the coexistence of order and chaos. The structures are built in order to process the organic growth in the fields. These intricate factories stand in contrast to the vast, uniform fields that surround them. The evolution of these fields throughout the year becomes a constant reminder of how things are continually changing, and there is always the hope of new beginnings. The invented landscapes, which are inspired by many of the elements that intrigue me about the factory-scapes, are an amalgamation of a chaotic system and an ordered system brought about by their influence on one another. The scale of the work quietly summons the viewer to a private intimate experience with the paintings. It is here where images that initially appear simple begin to reveal a more complex reality. All of the images are based on a grid, in which the horizontal and vertical elements are continually being repositioned into foreground, middle ground, and background layers. The overlapping of these layers creates fractured spaces that are defined by their own internal logic. The painted panels are then sanded, cut-up, repositioned, and added onto. This process compels me to react intuitively to the image, which helps to balance my instinct to control. Here, I am forced to consider a new direction for the painting that I had not anticipated. Calmer passages are delicately interwoven with more dynamic ones while the shallow spaces are physically divided from the deeper spaces, which recede into the unknown. The integration of these visual elements renders an image that is infinite in spite of its physical size, and creates a believable reality that lures the viewer into a quiet, peculiar place.

shadows of doubt

shadows of doubt

Oil on Wood
14" x 6"
2007

foreign terrain

foreign terrain

Oil on Wood
10.5" x 8.5"
2007

beneath the surface

beneath the surface

Oil on Wood
8" x 8"
2007

nest haven

nest haven

Oil on Wood
7.5" x 9.5"
2007

apart from there

apart from there

Oil on Wood
8" x 6"
2007

the end of a season

the end of a season

Monotype
20" x 14"
2007

broken to be mended

broken to be mended

Monotype
20" x 14"
2007

becoming again

becoming again

Monotype
20" x 14"
2007

hope strung out

hope strung out

Monotype
20" x 14"
2007

fragile strength

fragile strength

Monotype
16" x 16"
2007

beyond the present

beyond the present

Monotype
16" x 16"
2007

being rooted

being rooted

Monotype
16" x 16"
2007

living nest

living nest

Monotype
16" x 16"
2007

dim anticipation

dim anticipation

Monotype
16" x 16"
2007

holding on and letting go

holding on and letting go

Monotype
16" x 16"
2007

we grow more attatched

we grow more attatched

Monotype
16" x 14"
2007

the ends of the line

the ends of the line

Monotype
16" x 14"
2007

it begins again

it begins again

Monotype
16" x 14"
2007

at the mercy of the wind

at the mercy of the wind

Monotype
16" x 14"
2007

the subtle integration of all things

the subtle integration of all things

Oil and Analine Dye on Wood
7.5" x 18.75"
2003

chaos at work

chaos at work

Oil and Analine Dye on Wood
6.25" x 16.25"
2003

cornering time

cornering time

Oil & Analine Dye on Wood
30" x 11.25"
2007

time away

time away

Oil & Analine Dye on Wood
30" x 11.25"
2007

marking my way

marking my way

Oil & Analine Dye on Wood
7" x 31"
2007

walking thru boxes of time

walking thru boxes of time

Oil & Analine Dye on Wood
7.25" x 28.25"
2005

patapampa pass

patapampa pass

Monotype
9.5" x 3.5"
2006

sticks in snow

sticks in snow

Monotype
9.5" x 3.5"
2006

mountainscape

mountainscape

Monotype
3.75" x 15.5"
2006

rough terrain

rough terrain

Monotype
6" x 6"
2006

snowy days

snowy days

Monotype
6" x 6"
2006

Sticks and Stones I

Sticks and Stones I

Monotype
3.5" x 9.5"
2006

clown 2

clown 2

Monotype
6" x 6"
2005

Disappearing Act

Disappearing Act

Monotype
4.25" x 11.75"
2004

Fading In and Out

Fading In and Out

Monotype
4.25" x 8.5"
2002

Afternoon on Third Day

Afternoon on Third Day

Monotype
2.25" x 8.5"
2002

Static Harmony

Static Harmony

Monotype
4.25" x 8.75"
2002

in the middle ground

in the middle ground

Monotype
4.25" x 8.5"
2002

   
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4200 N. Marshall Way, In the Courtyard, Scottsdale, AZ 85251|480-429-7729|trent@g2gallery.com
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