by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS
Sherry Buckner returns to her beloved theme of plein-air painting in new work for the March exhibition at Childhood’s End Gallery. Exploring large open spaces in mist and fog, she forges a new approach to her images in both screen printing and chalk pastels. “My new work uses color to suggest ambient light in spatial landscapes with a sublime overview,” Buckner says. “I’m excited to share this work, as it is my first showing of work from the landscape and includes, as a surprise, three of my new chalk pastels. I love my new work and hope to enjoy the show.”
Buckner is a teacher, painter and master printmaker living in the Chehalis River Basin. Her screen prints are recognized and sold worldwide. Her pastel paintings are in many permanent private and public art collections in the Pacific Northwest. Since creating original artwork for the first Women’s Olympic Marathon Trials in Olympia in 1984, Buckner has shown her work in galleries here in Olympia and in Portland and Seattle. Her works are in the permanent collections at City of Olympia, Group Health of Olympia, Portland Community College and St. Peters Hospital.
Chalk pastel, something she’s happy to be doing again, is a medium she first worked with in 1988 but had to give up because she was allergic to the pastels. Her works in this show are landscapes with little to no detail but broad areas of land, sky and water in rich colors softly blended to create atmospheric effects. The work is contemplative and restful. Her designs are simple and uncluttered, combining flat swaths of color and blended areas that appear to have been spray-painted with an exceedingly fine spray.
The exhibition at Childhood’s End is called Papercuts, Prints & Pastels. In addition to Buckner’s prints and pastels, it features papercuts by Aki Sogabe and block prints by Mimi Williams and Yoshiko Yamamoto. There will be an artist’s reception from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, March 10.
What: Papercuts, Prints & Pastels
Where: Childhood’s End Gallery,
222 Fourth Ave. W, Olympia
When: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday – Saturday,
11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sunday, March 10 – April 23
How much: free
Learn more: 360-943-3724 | Childhood’s End
I enjoyed this review very much. I know Sherry and Mimi and have their work in my “permanent collection.”
Thanks for your reply, Mary. We have such amazing artists in the Olympia area!