Ruth Burley

Artist Statement

Ruth Burley Art   

I began my art journey drawing and sketching during occasional down times at my usually busy office.  I found it to be a great stress reliever providing a brief respite from the day’s work activities.  I lovedhow I got lost in it, and how time flew by when I was doing it.

I lived in Anderson S.C. for 35 years and in Greenville for the past 8 years.  I am the mother of a son and a daughter, and I am a proud grandmother of many grandchildren.  I retired in October 2013 after losing my husband to cancer in 2012.  Art filled many of the empty spaces in which I found myself as I grieved.  I took some acrylic painting classes which were enjoyable, but never felt that it was my niche.  And then I took a class in soft pastels, and wow!!  That was it!!!  The beautiful pastel sticks, rich in pigment, became my medium of choice. I immediately started taking classes at the Artists Guild Gallery on Main St., downtown Greenville, with my instructor, Erin Webb.  For the next 4 years, she generously shared her expertise with me, and helped me on my way to a whole new way of life immersed in making art.

Like my mother before me, I was a late starter in the pursuit of creating art.  In her retirement, she painted many oils which she shared with friends and relatives.  My brother was interested in art as early as I can remember.  He attended Art & Design H.S. in NYC, and then Pratt University, and is an established oil painter in NYC, my hometown.  I pursued music in my youth (in a very haphazard way), never thinking seriously about art since I always felt that my brother’s talent would always overshadow my own.  But, better late than never, the bug finally bit me.

In April 2018, I exhibited my pastel paintings at the Artist Guild Gallery in downtown Greenville as an “emerging artist.” The show was a great success, and really boosted my confidence.  In October 2017, May 2018 and October 2018 (Fall for Greenville), I participated in Artists on the Square where I painted outside with many other local artists and met lots of great folks as they milled around downtown.   I exhibited at the Universal Café & Art Gallery at the Greenville County office building for about a year in 2019.  I served as an admin for the facebook group How to Pastel for 2 years.  

My paintings can be found on Facebook and Instagram (ruthburleyart).  And now, I’m happy to be part of the Wild Hare Gallery family here in TR.