Deborah Kay Butterfield (born May 7, 1949) is an American sculptor. What made the process worse was that it began at the same time as the country went into lock down over COVID-19. In 1979 she began using reclaimed materials such as found steel and scrap metal.
Deborah Butterfield first began creating sculpture in the form of a horse in the 1970’s using mud, clay and sticks. Deborah Butterfield is an American sculptor best known for her depictions of horses made from found objects and natural materials, such as wood and recycled metal. She is known for her sculptures of horses made from found objects, like metal, and especially pieces of wood. For the past 20 plus years, Butterfield has been using bronze casts of "stray, downed pieces of wood." She uses these materials as the basis for each work, casting the final sculpture in bronze, which creates a rich patina that mimics the natural color and texture of wood. "I wanted to do these big, beautiful mares that were as strong and imposing as stallions but capable of creation and nourishing life. It was a very personal feminist statement. Butterfield was born in San Diego, CA, on the same day as the 75th running of the Kentucky Derby, a fact that she claims to be the source of … I have been unable to post new blogs on this site or the new one. My website changes weren’t as seamless as I had hoped. Butterfield carefully selects pieces of wood that outline the form and gesture of the horse. Get the latest news on the events, trends, and people that shape the global art market with our daily newsletter.©2020 Artnet Worldwide Corporation. Find an in-depth biography, exhibitions, original artworks for sale, the latest news, and sold auction prices. (129 results) "Deborah Butterfield is represented by Danese/Corey, New York; Anglim Gilbert Gallery, San Francisco; Greg Kucera Gallery, Initially constructing her sculptures using natural materials such as mud, clay and sticks in the 1970s, Butterfield has since moved to using metal in her work. Along with her artist-husband John Buck, she divides her time between a farm in Bozeman, Montana, and studio space in Hawaii.
All rights reserved. But now the work is done and the shift made. View Deborah Butterfield’s 130 artworks on artnet.
What I thought would take days stretched into months.
"Butterfield has said, "I first used the horse images as a metaphorical substitute for myself – it was a way of doing a self-portrait one step removed from the specificity of Deborah Butterfield. In 1977, she moved to a ranch in Montana and in 1979 began using scrap metal and found steel. "Quoted in Wausau, Wisconsin, Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Deborah Butterfield’s sculptures of horses appear to be fashioned from branches, scrap metal, and weathered lumber. Working with junk is a way of recognizing a quality of line and appropriating it to my sculpture. Her earliest works from the mid-1970s were made from sticks and natural detritus gathered on her property in Bozeman, Montana. "Butterfield has said that her horses are intended to make a feminist statement. "The materials and images were meant to suggest that the horses were both figures and ground, merging external world with the subject. Deborah Butterfield (American, born May 7, 1949) is a renowned sculptor, known for sculpting horses from materials such as wood and metal. Butterfield's work has been exhibited widely and there is demand among art collectors for her sculptures. It has to do with finding and identifying objects of interest that I can work with.
The wood pieces are then cast in bronze, burning the wood away.Referencing her materials, Butterfied has said, "When I walk past my pile of junk, I am inspired by the things I see. Deborah Butterfield