Reflection is a topic artist Myrna Button has been ruminating on for some time now. Once something predominantly the domain of thinkers, philosophers and perhaps, those ‘of a certain age’ expanded now in 2022 to seemingly include everyone. In the artists’ newest exhibition, Upon Reflection, she challenges viewers to consider what has shifted, been framed and reframed, examined, and reflected upon in their personal journey.
Influenced by her time spent travelling throughout the Arctic, Button has been experimenting with mirrors as an extension of her work with stained glass. The mirrors have been deliberately cracked and fragmented to mimic the natural patterns that appear in the ice of the Arctic. Rather than the traditional reading of cracked mirrors as broken or negative, Button re-considers them as imparting a sense of safety and freedom by referencing her Arctic travels across frozen rivers and lakes.
Button’s artistic process can be described as hands-on in that the artist allows materials to guide her direction. The cracked patterns created in the mirror impart a guide for the artists’ hands with colour and embellishments supporting the patterns. In some instances, Button has flooded the surface with colour and in others more deliberately followed the pattern. Through the use of mirrors, Button demands the audience face themselves and contemplate ideas of introspective reflection. By implicating the viewer into the work, the artist aims to encourage and guide viewers to embrace self-reflection and to consider how the last few years have exacerbated how we look at ourselves and the things that shape us.
Upon Reflection will be on view in the Members’ Gallery from April 8 - 30, 2022.
Myrna Button grew up on a cattle ranch in Southwest Saskatchewan. In her early twenties she moved to the MacKenzie Delta, Northwest Territories where she lived for the next 43 years. She traversed her environment by driving her own dog team. She remains a lifelong learner; reading her environment, and weaving contemplation and reflection into her artistic practice. Button is curious and experimental in multiple artistic practices which include pottery, watercolour, acrylic, fibre, and mixed media. She now resides in the Shuswap where she continues to find artistic expression.
Upon Reflection in the Members Gallery, 2022.