Deborah Butterfield

Deborah ButterfieldHorse Sculptures

Horse Sculptures – Deborah Butterfield

Today we will:

Learn about American female artist Deborah Butterfield

Look at several of her amazing horse sculptures

Create a horse using the “bas-relief” technique with a mix of natural and recycled materials

Become art critics and discuss our art using art vocabulary


Deborah Butterfield was born on Kentucky Derby Day in 1949 (she believes this is why she has such an affection for horses)

Unlike many of the artists we study, Butterfield is alive and working in California and Montana – she is 64 years old

Before Butterfield’s work with horses, most artists portrayed horses as a weapon of war or technology (like a work horse on a farm)

French Painting 1891 Japanese art work 1293


Deborah Butterfield was born on Kentucky Derby Day in 1949 (she believes this is why she has such an affection for horses)

Unlike many of the artists we study, Butterfield is alive and working in California and Montana – she is 64 years old

Before Butterfield’s work with horses, most artists portrayed horses as a weapon of war or technology (like a work horse on a farm)

Butterfield saw some of herself in the horses and aimed to capture their mood – sad, quiet, powerful, gentle, curious, caged, etc.

Horse Sculptures – Deborah Butterfield What type of mood do

you think this horse portrays?

We see that it’s head and neck are out and tilted sideways – what do you think that means?

Butterfield typically works in recycled materials; wood scrap metal, branches, twigs, and other items that have texture (something bumpy, slimy, rough, soft)

From the Deborah Butterfield: New Sculpture traveling gallery show, Chicago, 2010


What type of mood do you think this horse portrays?

How does it compare to the last piece? (turn to a partner and discuss quietly…now raise your hand to share)

We might say this one looks more sad with it’s tail and head lower while the original piece looks interested or curious

From the Deborah Butterfield: New Sculpture traveling gallery show, Chicago, 2010


Now let’s look at this “Untitled” sculpture…

What does the texture look like?

Scratchy, rusted, hard? It’s made of metal -

Discuss with your partner which piece you like the most and why – use words like texture, mood, talk about the materials used, what kind of materials you might like to work with, etc.

Untitled, 1980s


Now it’s your turn…you are going to create a horse sculpture using a technique called bas-relief.

•Bas-relief means your art work is mostly flat, but we are building it up with our natural and recyclable materials and creating a variety of levels so that it is no longer completely 2-D or flat

•We will also be creating a background or environment for our horse and concentrating on setting a mood with the different colors and textures we choose

•Let’s get started!


First you are going to watch while I demonstrate how to:

Quickly sketch a horse onto my corrugated cardboard piece using the horse photos given as a guide for my drawing

Cut my horse out of the cardboard and use that to trace my horse on another piece of scrap cardboard

Place items like string, raffia, leaves, etc. in between the two layers of cardboard for the mane,

tails, etc.

Create a environment for my horse to live in using our natural and recyclable materials and paint


o First we are going to sketch onto the corrugated cardboard for about 5 minutes. Use the pictures of horses on your desks and choose one you want to make a sketch of based on the mood you want to create in your art piece

o Next you will cut out your horse and trace it onto your other piece of cardboard to create your “horse sandwich”

o Now it’s time to be creative and place any items you want in between the horses to make a mane or tail, or saddle

o Now set your horse aside and begin working on the background


o First make sure your name is on the back of your background paper

o When creating your background please remember to focus on your mood and use texture to help create that mood

o When you are ready for paint, take your paper over to the paint table and use the paint to help create your background

o Once you are done painting, return to your desk and glue your horse onto your background

o Lay your project in a place to dry and help clean-up!

o While cleaning up be sure to think of a name for your project


Let’s review the art vocabulary we learned today –

Mood – the feelings a piece of art work generates

Texture – how something feels to the touch

Bas-relief – art work that is mostly flat, but built up with materials creating a variety of levels so that it is no longer completely 2-D or flat

Art Criticism – discussing and giving opinions about artwork using knowledge of art and art vocabulary


• Let’s be art critics!

• This piece is made of mud and straw on armature (framework around which a sculpture is built)

• Raise your hand if you have one word for the texture of this piece Horse - 1976

• This horse looks more realistic than the others but is it as interesting? Discuss this with your partner and defend your answer with at least one art word

• Congratulations you are now an art critic as you just discussed an art piece and gave your opinion based on your knowledge of art!


Discussion Questions -

•What’s the name of your bas-relief art piece?

•What mood were you trying to portray in your piece?

•What different textures did you choose to work with?

•Do you like this method of creating art?

•What was your favorite part of this process?

•If you could have chosen a different animal, what would you have picked as your subject?

Documents

Deborah Butterfield