Lucy Burton: "Hearth" & "Confessions of a Joy Seeker"
Lucy Burton’s show “Hearth” opened in the City Gallery on June 5th and is on sale online now. Her installation “Confessions of a Joy Seeker” will open July 3rd in Hank & Dolly’s Gallery and in the online shop on July 6th.
There are some artists whose work is such an extension of their personhood that they seem inextricably linked from one another. Having known artist Lucy Burton since childhood, her shows stand out to me as perfectly echoing her authenticity, warmth, and depth of thought. Burton grew up just blocks from the Harrison Center in Herron Morton Place. To an extent you might say she is a product of her neighborhood, attending Herron High School, frequenting First Fridays from a young age, and working at The Foundry where her mother is the manager. But since then, she has flourished into an accomplished artist who received a Fine Arts degree from IU in December, and it is clear that her work has grown up with her into something entirely its own. Right now, she has gorgeous new work hanging in the City Gallery and her thesis show is on display in Hank and Dolly’s.
“Hearth” is a collection of tributes to home that Burton collected from friends, family, and neighbors. They provided her with two images: one of their literal home, and one of their conception of home - sometimes cozy, sometimes memorable, sad, or sentimental. One image has then been painted on a swatch of found upholstery, and the other’s outline is stitched on a transparent piece of silk organza and overlaid on top. The result is a hazy view of both; they blend together and stand out at intervals. It’s difficult to see one image without the other, and the longer you look the more details appear.
Burton uses the phrase “a home between the monuments” to describe the show. I think what she means is that we tend to define a city by its landmarks, attractions, and opportunities. But beneath that, there is the day to day where we live the majority of our lives, and its made up of smaller joys, frustrations, and experiences. Its definitely informed by the bigger picture of the city where it exists, but to an extent, home is what we make it. It is both inevitable and deliberate. “Hearth” gently invites the viewer to explore this duality in all of its complexity. The titles, which are derived from the descriptions given for why particular scenes or images were chosen, further serve to create an interest in the stories behind the pieces. Some seem to be of cheerful memories, “He would break into song on the way to the grocery store/This is home- the feeling of being unconditionally loved” while others are less easy to decipher, “Prospect refuge/ I can feel the tack of the paint.” I found myself wishing I had the full explanations behind each one.
Confessions of a Joy Seeker, Burton’s thesis show, is more abstract both literally and figuratively but no less impactful. She describes the show as representing, “The tension I feel between Heaven and Earth.” Walking into Hank and Dolly’s Gallery, you’ll see 7 woven banners and their shadows projected on the walls and floor. Most of the pieces are on a gauzy, transparent material so that only the yarn designs woven on top are visible in the shadows. The shadows are as much a part of the work as the physical banners themselves- they move and dance as you make your way through the space, sometimes blending with one another. The show is visually striking on its own, but if you visit be sure to read the descriptions of each one. My favorite piece entitled “Light and Shadow,” which stands out in the center, is made of rich earth-toned yarn with plant shapes outlined in the negative space. Burton explains that for this piece she found the plants in her garden that needed the most light and the least light to survive, Hydrangea Quercifola and Spirea Prunifolia respectively, and incorporated their shapes into the weaving. The description for another piece called “The Search” reads, “There are moments where we feel our souls sing, where for a moment everything is right, and light, and golden. These moments are scattered, rarely in the same place twice. I’ve found them in laughter, easy and erupting. I’ve found them in the leaves of golden hour....while I long for these moments to last, I know they can’t.” The show is a reminder that while we tend to long for the light the easy and beautiful moments of life, it can’t exist independently of the shadows, and without shadows, we could never fully appreciate the light. For now, all we can do is look for and appreciate the light when it appears, but also find beauty in the shadows.
