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quiet settling
CHRISTOPHER BURK quiet settling
OCTOBER 2 - 31 GALLERY HOP EXHIBITION RECEPTION: OCT. 2 | 1-7PM Brandt-Roberts Galleries is pleased to present Quiet Settling. This solo exhibition by acclaimed Columbus-based artist Christopher Burk features over fifteen oil paintings from the artist’s new volcanic ash series. The Volcanic Ash series shifts Burk’s painting in a new direction, yet holds ties to his previous work. Like Burk’s Flooded Landscape series, this new series explores various dichotomies. On the surface, the subject matter speaks to climate change and the age-old battle of man versus nature. There is also a sense of peril juxtaposed with a placidness as the lone house seems surrounded and dwarfed by the impending ash. The houses sit amongst seemingly total destruction. However, volcanic ash isn’t as destructive as molten lava, and instead blankets the landscape like snow, perfectly preserving all it has engulfed. The velvety ash seems to almost swaddle the home which calms the heaviness of the scene. It is the grace in which Burk handles the imagery, composition, and color palette that creates a sense of comfort and contemplation in these works. Hard-edged, richly colored structures are presented against a backdrop of distant hills and hazey, blue skies. The imagery in this new body of work is derived from images of volcanic ash that fell after the unexpected eruption of the volcano Eldfell on the Icelandic island of Heimaey in 1973. Burk was intrigued with the graphic quality of the original images and began exploring his own compositions as they related to this subject. Of this new series, Christopher Burk says, “I’ve come to realize that the narrative of a house, in this series and the flooded pieces, have manifested themselves subconsciously as self-portraits.” A house is a loaded symbol, relating to family, adolescence, or a dream. Within this symbol, each viewer can bring their own emotion and experience to the work. Thematically, the Volcanic Ash Series demonstrates Burk’s continued interest in creating works that visually tantalise while posing a sense of precariousness and uncertainty. Quiet Settling is on view starting Saturday, October 2nd with a Gallery Hop Exhibition Reception from 1-7pm. The exhibition will be on view through October 31st during gallery hours, Wednesday through Sunday, 1-5pm, and by private appointment. Private appointments can be requested by emailing info@brandtrobertsgalleries.com or calling 614.223.1655. A virtual exhibition will be available at brandtrobertsgalleries.com/exhibitions.
I’ve come to realize that the narrative of a house, in this series and the flooded pieces, have manifested themselves subconsciously as self-portraits.
CHRISTOPHER BURK
HOUSE IN VOLCANIC ASH 1 Oil on linen 36 x 36 in SOLD Christopher Burk: Quiet Settling
HOUSE IN VOLCANIC ASH 2 Oil on linen 36 x 36 in SOLD Christopher Burk: Quiet Settling
HOUSE IN VOLCANIC ASH 3 Oil on linen 36 x 36 in SOLD Christopher Burk: Quiet Settling
HOUSE IN VOLCANIC ASH 4 Oil on linen 36 x 36 in SOLD Christopher Burk: Quiet Settling
HOUSE IN VOLCANIC ASH 5 Oil on linen 36 x 36 in $4200 Christopher Burk: Quiet Settling
HOUSE IN VOLCANIC ASH 6 Oil on linen 30 x 30 in $3500 Christopher Burk: Quiet Settling
HOUSE IN VOLCANIC ASH 7 Oil on linen 30 x 30 in SOLD Christopher Burk: Quiet Settling
HOUSE IN VOLCANIC ASH 8 Oil on linen 30 x 30 in $3500 Christopher Burk: Quiet Settling
HOUSE IN VOLCANIC ASH 9 Oil on linen 20 x 20 in $2400 Christopher Burk: Quiet Settling
HOUSE IN VOLCANIC ASH 10 Oil on linen 18 x 18 in $2200 Christopher Burk: Quiet Settling
HOUSE IN VOLCANIC ASH 11 Oil on linen 18 x 18 in $2200 Christopher Burk: Quiet Settling
HOUSE IN VOLCANIC ASH 12 Oil on linen 18 x 18 in $2200 Christopher Burk: Quiet Settling
HOUSE IN VOLCANIC ASH 13 Oil on linen 20 x 20 in SOLD Christopher Burk: Quiet Settling
HOUSE IN VOLCANIC ASH 14 Oil on linen 24 x 24 in SOLD Christopher Burk: Quiet Settling
HOUSE IN VOLCANIC ASH 15 Oil on linen 12 x 12 in SOLD Christopher Burk: Quiet Settling
CHRISTOPHER BURK
Christopher Burk's work has been shown across the country, including Columbus and Cleveland, OH, New Mexico, Chicago, New York, New Hampshire, and Georgia. His works have also been acquired for private and public collections nationally and internationally. Notably, his work was exhibited in Matanzas, Cuba in ConnectArt during the 13th Havana Biennial. Burk has garnered distinguished accolades for his work including a prestigious Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant (2018), a Visual Arts Fellowship from Greater Columbus Arts Council and Columbus Museum of Art (with a museum exhibition in 2020), and an Individual Excellence Award from Ohio Arts Council (2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021). Burk’s work will be featured at Intersect Chicago 2021 via Brandt-Roberts Galleries and he will complete an artist's residency at the prestigious Josef and Anni Albers Foundation in Connecticut in February and March of 2022.
BRANDT-ROBERTS GALLERIES 642 N High Street Columbus, OH 43215 614-223-1655 info@brandtrobertsgalleries.com www.brandtrobertsgalleries.com