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  • Scott Krohne
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  • Julie R. Evans

Old Castle Art

Old Castle ArtOld Castle ArtOld Castle Art
Home
Shop
Artist Showcase pages
  • Scott Krohne
  • Brenda J. Butka
  • Caroline McAllister
  • Julie R. Evans
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  • Shop
  • Artist Showcase pages
    • Scott Krohne
    • Brenda J. Butka
    • Caroline McAllister
    • Julie R. Evans
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Paintings by Brenda J. Butka

oil painting of a vase of daisies with an electrical cord plugged into the wall by artist Brenda J.

Sheila's Daisies Plugged In (Oil on board) 18"x24"

Oil painting of Japanese Irises by Brenda J. Butka

Japanese Iris (Oil on board) 11.5"x 24"

oil painting by Brenda J. Butka depictiing a small rhinoseros with a lemon and flower

The Blessing of the Continents (Oil on Canvas) 24"x24"

oil painting of a vase with flowers by artist Brenda J. Butka

 Yellow (Oil on Canvas) 20"x20" 

Brenda J. Butka

Artist Statement

Art is  another way of being present,  acknowledging the luminous nature of the life around me, paying the tribute of time.    All I want in a painting is for it to feel alive--which is not the same as photographically accurate, or well-composed, or even a recognizable subject.   Although many abstract paintings have this quality, I seem to require a visual buzz from the actual world--which could come  from a pair of green-handled garden clippers or from people reading on the beach or the tree at the end of my driveway.   Or flowers.  

Tool Series

Scythe

0/C,  approx. 20 " x 60"


This antique scythe belongs to Sheryl Evans, the widow of a fantastic Vandy art prof named Don Evans.   She still lives in the old, unpainted house on Little Marrowbone Road, and at a Fourth of July party after his death, she handed out baggies containing his ashes to be distributed wherever those who loved him thought fit.   I thought he would love to be in the perma

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Triangle Hoe 

Oil on wooden cement form, approx 10" x 40"


This cement form was used in building our new house on the site our home which was lost to fire.   



If I Had a Hammer

O/B 11"x14"

A red-handled hammer is just plain pretty, that's all.  So it sat for its portrait. 

Green-Handled Clippers

O/B, 14"x11"


Have to say again--just pretty.  And then the challenge is to make it alive. 

Roofing Hammer

Mixed media on wood found at construction site, approx 14" x 18"

A Rake's Progress

O/C, 36" x 48" 


Yes, rakes in a wheelbarrow, in raked light.  Spade for good measure.  

Brenda J. Butka

Artist Statement: Tool Paintings

 Tool paintings seem like a natural spin-off from my obsession with drawing the human body--they seem like pragmatic negatives of the body, adjusted over time for an ergonomic fit.  Plus they're interesting, challenging, and sometimes pretty.  

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