​CORINNA BUTTON
www.corinnabutton.com
 

BIOGRAPHY

Influenced by German Expressionism, interdisciplinary artist Corinna Button seamlessly incorporates printmaking techniques into her paintings and ceramic sculptures. She has had more than thirty solo exhibitions and has been featured in numerous group shows and fairs across the world,  Her artwork can be found in the permanent collections of the; The Victoria & Albert Museum, London (2017) Jiangsu Art Museum, China,(2017), Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, University of Aberystwyth, Wales and the BBC.
Button completed the Center Program at Hyde Park Art Center in Chicago, where she reignited her interest in new techniques and forms in clay. While in Chicago (2010-2016), her practice was rooted in a studio at Zhou B Art Center. She holds a BA (honors) in painting from Leeds Metropolitan University School of Art and a postgraduate degree in printmaking from Croydon School of Art. She is an elected member of The Royal Society of Painters and Printmakers, London and currently lives and works in London, UK.  
 Her work is featured in several publications including ‘Extraordinary Sketchbooks’ and ‘Printmaker’s Secrets’ (Published by A&C Black)
Button's work can be found in many private collections worldwide.

ARTIST STATEMENT

After completing a BA honors degree in painting, I pursued a printmaking postgraduate degree in the UK, where I am from. It was during this time that I was impacted by the German Expressionists, whose works, particularly in printmaking, left an indelible impression on me. I dedicated many subsequent years to developing my work in etching and other forms of printmaking. Today, printmaking continues to be a medium that intrigues me and is hugely influential in the way I approach my painting and sculpture.

​During my years in Chicago (2010 - 2016) I was able to expand my work in both printmaking and painting -- often combining elements of both in one piece. To develop a painting or drawing I use my prints as the starting point, which are often worked into a painting using collage and printed impressions from fabrics and embossed papers. I then use printmaking tools, such as rollers, squeegees and scrapers, to apply paint. My clay-based sculptures are also layered and imprinted with fabric patterns; a variety of stampings and tooled marks give their surfaces the appearance of “etched lines.”

People are the subjects of my work and I am intrigued by moments that, despite initially appearing quite commonplace, are (for me) charged with great significance and meaning. My inspiration is drawn from experiences or predicaments I encounter in daily life, such as social gatherings, images from social media and words from a song or a poem. All these generate ideas for themes that I can build upon, “dress-up” and weave into my work. I compose figures either in groupings or as a single figure or just a face. My aim is not to create exact likenesses, but rather to create prototypical or archetypal figures whose personality or identity is both partly exposed and partly hidden beneath the surface. Everything about the way I work (both technique and subject) is motivated by the desire to reveal or “bring something to light.” Thus my process involves layering then scraping back, building then excavating; otherwise, peeling back layers to “carve out” and reveal something hidden beneath the surface.

It is through these painted, sculpted or printed figures that I wish to project recognizable aspects of human experience. I want to compel and to draw the viewer in for a closer look at and beyond the surface.