Annie Kammerer Butrus: On the Sublime

"Sublime Dogwood IV", Acrylic on Panel, 30" x 40", 2013.
[Image courtesy of the artist.]

My conversation with Annie Kammmerer Butrus about her work and her new adventures into the sublime was inspiring and affirming. Annie's Sublime Dogwood series is a natural transition from her longterm project, The Peach Tree Trail series and a jumping off point for her journey into the sublime nature of gardens. 

 "Sublime Dogwood V", Acrylic on Panel, 30" x 40" , 2013.
[Image courtesy of the artists.]

Inspired by the Jasmine Hill Garden near Montgomery, AL, this series represents the beginning of a much anticipated journey. Annie plans to continue with her pursuit of the sublime landscape through gardens but she looks to define that term in the broadest sense. Her introduction with Jasmine Hill is very formal, however, she has already visited a storm ravaged pecan orchard near Tuscaloosa.  The pecan orchard will provide a perfect setting for rendering what she calls "the idea of terror and beauty," as referenced by the Victorian philosopher Edmund Burke, in his treatise On the the Sublime and Beautiful, 1757.

Peach Tree Trail: 4 Winter Culp 07, acrylic on panel, 50" (w) x 28" (h) 2009.
[Image courtesy of the artist.]

Shadow Study II, Ink on Paper, 2010.
[Image courtesy of the artist.]

 For Annie, the sublime references the reality that nature is constantly being defined and redefined, which makes it as she states,"still  malleable to the contemporary." To this end, she continues to track and record family owned lands that have undergone some sort of trial and subsequently recovered. While the Peach Tree Trail series captured the shadows cast by the peach trees, as her work with the dogwoods progressed, she began to look up to record the framing presented as she gazed into the sky through the trees. Seemingly, this action provoked a brighter more saturated palette. The vibrant blues of the sky also  brought forward the memory of her recently deceased father who as she recalled, " had very  blue eyes."

Annie Kammerer Butrus, "Sublime Dogwood II," 30" x 40" Acrylic on Panel, 2013.
[Image courtesy of the artist.]

As Annie stated so eloquently during our conversation, "The solace that nature provides is common to us all," but this connection to nature also reminds us of our volatility in this life and as she affirmed, "it can change on a dime."