Denton couples showing off artwork in new exhibition

by Graciela Razo of North Texas Daily

The Greater Denton Arts Council is answering one main question with the opening of its new exhibit: How do couples relate and inspire one another?

Through the “Couples Who Create” exhibit, the council displays the works of artistic couples, placing them side-by-side to show similarities and differences in each of their artistic aesthetics.

Eight Denton-area couples are displaying creative projects such as paintings, photographs, metalwork, sculptures, and collages.

The concept came from Corky Stuckenbruck, one of the artists in the show, said Deb Dyer, the Greater Denton Arts Council associate director.

The idea was to show the resemblances between the two artists’ works.

“It is one of those things where each couple is going to approach things differently,” Dyer said. “It is supposed to show the sensitivities in the couples’ pieces.”

The artwork from each couple is displayed together so viewers can detect these “sensitivities” for themselves.

Some of the artist pairs specialize in the same kind of art, while others only share inspiration, critiques and encouragement with their partner.

A common inspiration

Harlan and Robin Butt are one of the couples presenting their works in the exhibit. It is the first time they will be in the same display.

The two met at the Tyler School of Art as art undergraduates and have been married for 34 years.

Harlan Butt said both have dedicated themselves to different art forms, but often share the same inspiration.

He is a regents professor in the College of Visual Arts and Design as well as the coordinator of the jewelry and metals program. He specializes in metalwork while his wife, an occupational therapist, focuses on drawing and painting.

“I started off being very figurative, and he is more spiritual and concise in his work,” Robin Butt said. “Since we’ve been married, I have gotten more involved in landscape and the spiritual part, while he has gotten looser in his work.”

Harlan Butt is displaying seven pieces, most of which are vases and incense burners. He said his work mirrors landscapes of Texas and Colorado, the two places he calls home.

Robin Butt is showcasing older and newer works of hers to show the progression of her art.

Her pieces are also centered on nature.

“They are still kind of emotional. You can feel the movement of the water and its power,” she said.

Harlan Butt said it will be a different experience being in the same exhibit together. The two have shared criticism and given each other support in the weeks leading up to the event.

“I think she is showing some of her best work,” he said. “I am also interested in seeing the show and how it is displayed as well as seeing other artists from the community.”

Robin Butt said her husband has been working consistently on his pieces 24/7.

“Everybody thinks I should bow down to him everyday because he is a genius,” she said. “He is quite the metal master.”

Complementing each other

While some couples share the same kind of artistry, others, such as Robert and Faith Scott Jessup, have the same interests.

Married for 24 years, both artists are painters and wanted to have fun seeing what they would come up with for the exhibit.

In the summer, Robert Jessup, a painting and drawing professor, went to his downstairs studio and his wife, an art teacher at Guyer High School, went to her upstairs studio to begin working on their separate pieces.

Both agreed to make paintings seven and a half feet long and five feet wide.

The couple found their paintings turned out completely different with few likenesses.

“They were very much our own kind of imagery, but in a weird way, they complement each other,” Robert Jessup said. “They kind of talk to each other.”

He said his painting shows “monster-like creations and hybrid beings.”

“My reactions to his paintings are usually, ‘Wow, that’s really strange,’” Faith Scott Jessup said.

She calls her paintings “magic realism,” often showing realistic images juxtaposed next to something unrelated. Her painting displays a large fish.

Both artists chose a bright blue sky for their background.

The couple said throughout the painting process, they offered each other advice on how to improve, and they’re excited to be exhibiting together for the first time.

“We’re very supportive of each other’s career,” Robert Jessup said. “We just looked forward to the opportunity to make these paintings.”

Once the exhibit is set up, viewers will enjoy the variety of art displayed, Dyer said.

“It is a show people should come to with an open mind,” Dyer said. “It is a very interesting show with lots and lots to look at.”