Current Exhibitions

Phragments & Pheathers

Joel Tro and Jeff Butler

May 16 to August 2, 2010

Opening reception: May 16, 2010, 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM

What's in a name? Plenty, if the title of the Westboro Gallery's newest exhibition is any indication. Phragments & Pheathers the brainchild of artists Joel Tro and Jeff Butler, is a must-see exhibition like no other. Tro uses "phragments" of found objects and scraps of woods and metals to create his captivating three-dimensional assemblages, while Butler masterfully transforms wood and other materials into his detailed "pheathered" bird sculptures and other unique pieces.

The exhibit will be on display from May 16 through August 2, 2010. An opening reception for the show will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, May 16th, in the gallery, just off the rotary at 8 W. Main St. The reception is open to the public and light refreshments will be served. Artwork by the 2010 Therese M. Bacharz Award winner also will be on display at the gallery.

While both artists frequently work in wood, each expresses himself in a different and unique way, often through the addition of other mediums, such as brass, steel and other metals and plastics.

Inspiration for Mr. Butler's pieces is typically drawn from one of two sources. "Sometimes I have simply seen a bird in a pose or scene that appeals to me just as it would to a photographer or painter. Other times I find a limb or split piece of wood and know that it's the head, neck and body of a heron or the leg and foot [ with all its toes ] of a Jacana. Once it was the root of a sapling, obviously the entire foot of a bird of prey. Just which bird of prey was arbitrary, size was the only limitation." Extraordinary detail and craftsmanship can be found in pieces such as "Blackburnian Warbler" (basswood, brass, acrylic) and Yellow Crowned Night Heron” (pine, applewood, acrylic).

A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Jeff Butler has been with the Westboro Gallery since 2002, and has served as the gallery's Facilities Director since 2006. Before that, he was a founding member of Redwing Gallery in Worcester. His work has been featured in the National Decoy Show in New York as well as the Ward Foundation World Championship Carving Competition in Maryland. Butler's wood carvings were depicted in "Championship Carving," the illustrated text of wildfowl art by Tricia Veasey and Tom Johnson.

Butler and Tro seem to share a similar bold sense of vision. In discussing the vision behind his technique, Tro says, "I enjoy discovering time-worn scrap materials rich with traces of earlier uses and transforming them without changing them." Many of Tro's pieces reflect his love of art deco and Native American design, as evidenced by his "Dream Catcher" wood assemblage and also the standout metal assemblage, "Metallica."

Joel Tro received his BFA from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, and also holds a degree from the New York School of Interior Design. He began his art career as a freelance designer, and went on to work for Golding Industries in Manhattan. He later became the Design Director for Leshner Corporation in New York City, where he managed his own studio and organized and scheduled designs in both original art and production across the United States and Europe.

Tro's work has been exhibited in many juried shows and galleries across New England, including the Northboro Artists’ Guild, the Danforth Museum in Framingham, and Allure Gallery in Westboro, and Greenville, New York. Tro has been active with the Westboro Gallery since 2006, and currently serves as Display Director for the Board of Directors. He is also a member of the Cultural Arts Alliance in Hopkinton.

Upcoming Exhibitions