Mitchell Street Series # 1

Oil on Panel 11" X 14" SOLD

PRESS RELEASE May 22, 2004

Local Artist Gary Butler has spent a lot of time standing in front of his neighbor's homes in historic central Phoenix. He has stood in front of each for anywhere between 8 and 10 hours at a time, absorbing the unique nature of each house and surroundings. The past 7 months he has interpreted his neighborhood through a series of 44 oil on masonite paintings, uniquely textured with the use of a stylus.

The paintings incorporate wild compositions, a neutral palette and a "where's waldo" approach to detail that keeps the viewer indefinitely engaged. Butler started with a few paintings intended to capture how his neighborhood looks everyday, complete with garbage cans and wandering pets. The paintings spiraled into a nearly obsessive series that tells the story of a whole neighborhood, historic, alive, and diverse.