New Artist Alert!!!

Alexei Butirskiy

Here at Old Towne Gallery we are extremely excited to introduce our new artist Alexei Butirskiy!

Here is a brief bio on this world renowned artist:

Since the beginning of the new millennium, literally thousands of collectors from around the world have added one or more of Alexei Butirskiy images to their collections.

What has caused this immediate and enthusiastic reception? As Aristotle once said, “Art not only imitates nature, but also completes its deficiencies.”

No one could have described Alexei’s complex painting technique more succinctly!

In his own unique way, Alexei Butirskiy achieves a marvelous transition from what is often unattractive source material through a masterful enhancement process of addition and subtraction, until he awakens the sleeping beauty in each composition.

“When I paint, I don’t just copy from any particular place. I try to memorize the original impression I had when I was somewhere, and then I recompose it in my head, based on how I feel about it. After that, I paint. I think it is very important for an artist to not just copy mechanically from nature. In that case, the artist could be replaced by a camera.

An artist should rather have a goal and then follow it to create the emotional images and a special atmosphere in the painting, and to thereby convey an individual message. Painting nature with all its many faces is always magnificent. To me, there is no such thing as bad weather.”

Alexei Butirskiy brings a genuine expression to the art world and a sense of both mystery and belonging to each of his paintings. “The source of my inspiration is life itself. I find peace and harmony all around me. I observe the beauty of my surroundings and love to share my appreciation of the world through my eyes and transfer it to my viewers by way of my canvas.” Born in Moscow in 1974, Alexei Butirskiy entered Moscow Art College in 1992. In 1996 he finished his studies at the Art College and graduated with an Excellence Diploma. In 1998 he completed the Russian Academy of the Arts where he studied under respected professor L.S. Hasyanova.

Since 2001, Butirskiy has participated in over 100 exhibitions. In 2007, Alexei was

invited to exhibit at the prestigious Il Vittoriano in Italy. He has exhibited at one-man shows and auctions in Russia, England and the United States.

Most recently, Alexei has concentrated his efforts primarily on representing urban life around him in truthful and unglorified terms. A sense of tranquility is conveyed in each of his paintings. They are typically without action or conviviality, and most are uncannily still, with only light, space, shadows and color offering dialog.

The power and intensity of the relationship between light and dark are the profound forces of his work. The sophisticated application of light effects with color reinforce the majesty of his compositions. Butirskiy’s paintings are reminiscent of the works of Claude de Lorraine and Caravaggio with their luminescent qualities and skillful variations of light and dark.

Alexei Butirskiy’s ability to combine architecture, color and format is a refined skill normally reserved for artists much his senior. As a result, he ranks among Russia’s top emerging artists. His work is exhibited in galleries and private collections throughout France, England, Austria, Germany, Morocco, Switzerland, Russia, Canada and the United States. From Russia with Love!

Come into the gallery today to see all of his breathtaking pieces!

-Megan A. Hansen

Introducing The Art Of Brian Challis!

Here at Old Towne Gallery we are excited to introduce our new artist Brian Challis!

From Brian’s early childhood he has had a passion for creating. One of his earliest memories is “sitting on the milk box, carving a figure in a piece of wood”. Although he never had an art class, at his high school graduation he received the school’s highest art award.

As an young adult, Brian’s interest turned to wooden circular stairways. The fertile three dimensional envelope and sensuous lines of helical stairs presented intriguing sculptural opportunities. He designed and built stairs for noted actors, businessmen, and U.S. Presidents. He has received twelve patents. His firm, Challis Stairways, was sold in 1992 to LJ Smith, an Ohio based stair parts manufacturer. For the following four years he ran a research and development group for LJ Smith.

Since 1996 Brian has dedicated himself to sculpture and design. In 1998 Larry H. Miller, a highly successful entrepreneur, asked Brian to design a theme restaurant. The Mayan Restaurant which has received international recognition is the result; the theme was conceived and the artistic design was created by Brian.

His body of work includes traditional, impressionistic and abstract sculpture. Some of his pieces include a blend of these genres.

His traditional work includes life-size sculptures of his own children. The tender emotions elicited by these highly detailed pieces hint at the love Brian has for children in general, his own in particular. In 2003 the Utah Jazz commissioned him to create 1-½ life size sculptures of John Stockton and Karl Malone for their home arena, the Delta Center.

For his impressionistic and abstract work, subject matter is generally absent, and when employed, is subservient to form. He has designed unique bearing and motor assemblies which give his kinetic pieces a freedom of motion found nowhere else. The fluid, moving lines of spirals, helical forms and the enigmatic mobius, have long intrigued him. His work often speaks of that intrigue. People frequently comment that Brian’s work is very similar to that of M C Escher, but in three dimensions. Although he was a poor student of math, Brian’s work is often imbued with mathematical undertones.

Brian’s sculpture has been juried into numerous art shows. Awards include First Place, Second Place and several Merit Awards. Salt Lake City asked Brian to organize an art Gallery for the 2002 Olympic Games and invited him to be one of two featured artists at the two week show.

His work is found in public and private collections throughout the U.S., and abroad. Brian is married and has six children. We are thrilled to be carrying Brian's work! Stop by the galllery to see his inventive sculptures in person!

- Megan A. Hansen