September 2011

Providence Gallery in Charlotte, NC, Features Works by Curt Butler and P. Basille Nikitchenko

Providence Gallery in Charlotte, NC, will present the exhibit, Color Concepts, a celebration of works by Curt Butler and P. Basille Nikitchenko with diverse approaches to the canvas, yet a shared love of vivid color, texture and a sense of place, on view from Sept. 16 through Oct. 8, 2011. A reception will be held on Sept. 16, from 6-9pm.

The exhibit includes Butler’s new series of oil encaustics depict cityscapes from the Piedmont region, while P. Basille Nikitchenko’s traditional landscapes, drenched in vibrant color and mood, transport the viewer to far away meadows and woodlands still untouched by modern intervention.

Butler’s encaustic painting process involves alternating layers of oil paints mixed with beeswax, which acts as a fixative, with layers of glaze onto the canvas, with the use of a high temperature heat gun. This technique achieves an impasto affect, a thick application of paint with strong brushstrokes.

The resulting textures are rich with both brushstroke and palette knife impressions. His paintings seem to come together at a distance with his imagery, and yet, work on a purely abstract level as you approach them. While he works primarily in landscape and cityscapes, his goal as an artist is to capture the atmosphere and mood of the place, rather than attempting to recreate a realistic interpretation of his chosen subject.

The landscapes of Nikitchenko are also atmospheric in nature; his artistic focus is rendering compositions that focus on the beauty and harmony found in nature. His expertise in succinctly blending warm and cool tones imbues his paintings with a sense of inherit poise and balance that are the perfect means for demonstrating the beautiful visual harmonies he sees in the landscape.

Nikitchenko was born in Moscow, Russia, in 1963. In 1983, he entered the Moscow State Academy of Fine Art. From 1986-88, he participated in the work of the Moscow Experimental Studio of Painting and Graphic Art. Nikitchenko also studied with renowned Russian art professor Butoroff in his private art school in Moscow from 1987-1989.

In 1992, Nikitchenko served as an Art Director at the International Art Center of Moscow. One year later, he founded the Independent Ivanov Art Agency within the International Association of Art Historians, and spent the next two years organizing exhibitions of modern Russian artists. 1995 took Nikitchenko to Prague, Czech Republic, where he worked and lived, absorbing the beauty of that historic city, while also managing his own independent gallery. In the fall of 2000, Nikitchenko began traveling to the Western Hemisphere, exhibiting his art to a whole new audience.

For further information check our NC Commercial Gallery listings, call the gallery at 704/333-4535 or visit (www.ProvidenceGallery.net).

[ | September 2011 | Feature Articles | Carolina Arts Unleashed | Gallery Listings | Home | ]