The Art of Influence... Corinna Button

Corinna Button, Little Black Dress, Stoneware

"The Art of Influence: Breaking Criminal Traditions" is currently on exhibition at The Art Center-Highland Park. The show presents more than fifty paintings, drawing, prints and sculptures created by fifteen fine artists from around the country. Each artist directed by their own specific passion, has created work not necessarily intending to address human rights issues... And yet they do.

I've selected pieces that are intriguing—with many levels of interpretation. Being conscious of the human rights issues outlined by Executive Producer, Cheryl Jefferson, I chose beautifully intriguing works of art that contain multiple levels of meaning—the meaning ultimately defined by the interpretation of the viewer.

Button's work—painting, sculpture, and prints—tend to explore humanity. Utilizing the figure as subject, the outcome defines a visual vocabulary where distressed beauty converges with quiet elegance. She points out...

"It's my fascination with people, the masquerades, performances and dramas seen in daily life that provides me with a continual source of inspiration."

"Little Black Dress" [shown above] seems to address the repression of women in male dominated societies. The bondage-inspired apparatus with voluptuous curves and pleated ruffles, accentuates the femininity of the form, referencing the beauty and grandeur of red carpet fashion. The piece may be a symbol of suppression, or perhaps the piece is just a nod to the beauty of women and fashion. Either way... it begins a dialogue.

The exhibition continues through December 29. The Art Center-Highland Park is located at 1957 Sheridan Road, Highland Park, Illinois. This event is free and open to the public. All works are available for purchase.

The Art of Influence: Breaking Criminal Traditions includes works of art by: Corinna Button, James Deeb, Sheila Ganch, Claire Girodie, Sergio Gomez, Andrea Harris, Paula Kloczkowski Luberda, Richard Laurent, Kathy Liao, Chandrika Marla, Zoriah Miller, Nancy Rosen, Lorraine Sack, Valerie Schiff, Barbara Simcoe, and Anne Smith Stephan.

Originally from Sheffield, England, Corinna Button earned her BA (Honors) in Fine Art from Leeds Metropolitan University. Although continuing to paint, Button adopted printmaking as her primary medium of expression and earned a postgraduate degree in advanced printmaking from the Croydon School of Art. Her exhibition history is extensive, with shows in the US, Hungary, Denmark, Germany, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Korea, and of course her country of origin, the UK. Her work is held in a number of important collections including the BBC, The University of Aberystwyth, the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford and Castle Lesley in Ireland. She has garnered recognition with awards, including the Hector Purchase prize and the University of of Aberystwyth prize . Button's work is featured in several publications, such as 'Extraordinary Sketchbooks' and 'Printmaker's Secrets' (Published by A&C Black). Button is an elected member of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers. Corinna Button works in several mediums and will often combine these, blending painting, printmaking and collage to create the qualities she is seeking in each individual work. The results are uniquely textured artworks that embrace both the deliberate and accidental elements of the artist's process.

Amy Kartheiser; the details of fine art

Charles Gniech photograph 

There is a wonderful story in the Chicago Home+Garden section of this month's Chicago magazine. The story is titled "Clean Slate: A Lincoln Park house revamped by a designer who loves starting fresh" and it features the home of designer Amy Kartheiser. The article is written by Kari Richardson, photography by Bob Coscarelli with styling by Johanna Lowe.

The article explores the details that Kartheiser integrates when composing her exquisite environments. In the case of her own Lincoln Park Queen Anne home, the artical points out custom mouldings, the specialty cabinetry and hardware, the re-working of a turn-of-the-century bathtub, and—of course—fine art.

Large works of art are used to create focal points in two areas of the main level of the home. The first—a work on paper by Francine Turk which is featured on the opening page of the story. A few pages later, one of my recent canvases appears in the home's sitting room—elegantly placed above the fireplace and flanked by custom millwork designed by Kartheisier. I'm honored to have my work in this exquisite home.

For additional information, and to read the article, pick up the December issue of Chicago magazine. I've compiled the pages below. Additional information about the work of designer Amy Kartheiser, can be found at: amykartheiserdesign.com