When painting a face, the attitude or mood is never predetermined. My fascination is to unearth an emotion through the process itself; whether this is derived from the transference of my own feelings as I paint, or an empathetic channelling through my subject.
Gill Button is not interested in portraying a likeness or façade; but in discovering and feeling something more enigmatic.
The series of faces in this new body of work appear a little out of our reach; glazed over, or looking past us. They are melancholic, deep in their own thoughts, maybe burdened or weary; we are unable to interact with them. Even the woman in Distance, who is seemingly looking at us, is actually looking through us, oblivious or nonchalant. They are all a little lost in time.
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GILL BUTTON from Unit London on Vimeo.
Button’s large-scale works often portray figures within wider landscapes, but the two large canvases in Edge of Time depict contained, solitary figures.
They are not relaxing in the delights of a warm bubble bath, but trapped within its rigid confines; it is their chrysalis while they wait in hope that the next chapter of their lives will begin. The archway symbolism further emphasises a stage of transition, of renewal; an archway they are unable to pass through. An echo perhaps of the recent universal state of being.
Gill Button
Caesura
2021
Gill Button
Caesura Nocturn
2021
Gill Button
Distance
2021
Gill Button
Forgotten Dream
2021
Gill Button
Adrift
2021
Gill Button
She Waits, She Waits
2021
Button’s larger canvases, often cinematic in nature, depict moments of contemplation; evocative of distant dreams, fears or memories.
Capturing moments of wonder, melancholy, strength or vulnerability, her practice makes us question how we connect to each other, but ultimately to ourselves.
About the Artist
London-based painter Gill Button is known for her captivating translation of found imagery; creating gestural, intimate portraits that are deeply personal and intuitive.
Recent solo shows include Traces of You, James Freeman Gallery, London; Han Feng Art Space, Shanghai; and From Iceland to Lalaland, Ame Nue, Hamburg. Her work has also been shown in recent group exhibitions in Tokyo, Los Angeles, Madrid, Paris and Berlin. A graduate of Kingston College of Art London, Button has been a judge and curator for the Ing Discerning Eye exhibition, spoken on several panel discussions and given masterclasses in painting at Soho House. Her artist residencies include Han Feng Art Space in Shanghai and Room on the Roof at Debijenkork, Amsterdam in partnership with Rijksmuseum.
Chosen Charity
