Shadow Play: Works by Brian Shure

Shadow Play Works by Brian Shure


Brian Shure, who lives and works in Providence, RI, exhibits a series of realist landscapes and cityscapes rendered primarily in ink on paper. The subjects of these works are locations in Japan, Italy, the United States and China. The bustle of activity and architectural diversity in urban environments is often the subject of Shure’s compositions. For example, 55th and 5th and Union Square Skateboarders capture the congested streets and ever-changing nature of the city. Shure states, “My subjects are continually evolving: the most obvious examples are the continually changing light and the moving people and cars.”

While the city is certainly a source of inspiration for Shure’s drawings, so is the tranquility of the landscape. Several drawings of locations in Nara and Kyoto, Japan depict forests of cedars and bamboo rendered in indigo and gold ink on paper. The horizontal format of these works, repetitive lines of the flora and dramatic lighting evokes the serenity of being immersed in nature. Shadow Play is presented as part of the statewide collaboration, Where to Draw the Line: the Maine Drawing Project, which celebrates drawing at Maine museums and art venues throughout 2011.

Shure received a BA in Printmaking and Painting from Antioch College and worked as a professional lithographer for 15 years. He is on the faculty of the Rhode Island School of Design and is represented by Katharina Rich Perlow Gallery, NYC and Lenore Gray Gallery, Providence.

Shure Siena Cortile
Sienese Cortile , 1994