The Stiles Gallery is dedicated to the memory of Art Coordinator Shirley Stiles. For almost ten years Ms. Stiles arranged for a monthly display of works by a different artist to hang in our gallery. Ms. Stiles was an accomplished artist and each Friday would meet at City Hall to paint and share techniques with a circle of fellow artists and friends. The City of Westwood and the arts community lost a remarkable person when Ms. Stiles passed away in 2006 following a brief illness. Her memory lives on in her art, the gallery, and the remembrances of her family, friends and fellow artists.
Kathy Butler, Ms. Stiles’ daughter, continues her mother's work of showcasing local area artists. Thank you Kathy for your dedication to the Gallery and helping make Westwood beautiful!
If you have any questions about these or upcoming artists please contact City Hall abby.schneweis [at] westwoodks.org (by email) or at 913.362.1550.
Lawrence Zhang - September 2023
Lawrence Zhang came from Beijing, China. He is a senior artist who loves painting, photography and graphic design.
He began to paint under the study of a great artist, Mr. Lee Mer when he was only seven years old, giving him a good foundation. He was apprenticed to five famous painters to learn the art of painting.
He is good at sketch, watercolor, gouache and oil painting, especially Chinese Water color painting.
He has received numerous national and international awards held by National Art Museum of China, International Painting art Exhibition of Kobe, Japan.
After he immigrated to the States, he studied photography in the Photo Academy of Los Angeles for four years and worked as a professional photographer for five years. He is a member of PPA (Professional Photographers of America).
His has more than forty photographic works selected by the international photography show. Some of them are award-winning works.
Lawrence loves art. He has been a professional photographer and graphic designer Working in the United States for over twenty years.
Penelope Sharp - November 2023
Penny Sharp is a native of Kansas City, MO and currently resides in Parkville, MO. Her interest in photography began at age 7 when her parents gave her a Kodak Brownie camera for Christmas. Her father, an “avid hobbyist” photographer, was her first of many teachers.
Penny spent many years following in her father’s footsteps learning to “see” light and composition in the physical world. In her 20s she took several Communiversity photography classes at the University of Missouri – Kansas City, learning how to develop her own black & white images while enhancing her technical skills using 35mm film.
She halted her photography for a few decades after all her photos and albums were destroyed in a flood and responsibilities of single parenting took priority. Finally, when she was 68 years old, she purchased a new digital camera and joined the Northland Photography Club in Kansas City and rekindled her passion for photography.
Penny is most interested in landscape, scenic, wildlife and Milky Way photography. Thanks to the freedom of time, continuous learning and travel opportunities, she has become an “avid hobbyist” always on the lookout for that next great image.
Senior Arts Council - November 2023
The Senior Arts Council of Kansas City was founded in 1977 is an organization of Artist over 50 years of age. There are some 60 members. The group holds meeting the last Monday of each month at the Roeland Park community Center. Election of officers is done annually. The artist in the group include oil, acrylic and watercolor artist, along with photographers and various other art mediums. The group puts on a number of exhibits each year and have had exhibits at the Tim Murphy Art Gallery at the Merriam Community Center, The Endres Art Gallery in Prairie Village, The Johnson County Libraries, Wyandotte County Libraries, Unity Spot Light Gallery, and many other locations in the Kansas City area. For those wanting further information on joining the group they can contact Bryce Moore at 913- 642-1447.
Larry Butterworth - December 2023
I grew up Kansas and Nebraska and earned my Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the University of Kansas in 1975. After that I moved to California to live and pursue my artistic goals. I developed a style and method of approaching my work. Painting and drawing have always been my favorite traditional media since I discovered them as a child. Later in life I began to experiment with other media, computer programs such as photoshop and illustrator also photography. I learned to mix them up and play with them creatively. Lately I have been circling back around to basic drawing and enjoying it very much.
Art is a journey. I chase after images with a butterfly net, always careful to preserve what I’ve found not wanting to pin it down, I never commit to anything right away. I store it in a jar til the time is just right, then I free it, usually with another image that is imprisoned also. Once these liberated images come together, they have a mind of their own. Then another free flight and they begin to tell their own story. My work has always felt like visual storytelling, stories I can’t tell verbally, narratives that speak to each person in a different way. Humor, satire, whimsy, foreboding, social comment and spirituality all come into play.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS 1978 - 2017
- All Creatures Great and Small, John Natsoulsas Gallery, Davis Ca.
- Solo Exhibition, Larry Butterworth Paintings and Drawings, john Natsoulas Gallery, Davis Ca.
- American Drawing Biennial ll, Muscarelle Museum of Art, College of William and Mary, Willimsburg Va.
- Calgene Contemporary Arts Show, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis Ca.
- Midwinter Arts Show, San Diego Arts Institude, San Diego Ca.
- Food for Thought, Butte College, Chico Ca.
- Capitola a’ la Carte, Invitational Exhibition, California State Capitol, Sacremento Ca.
- Drawings for Funk’s Sake, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis Ca.
- Fifth Annual Exhibition, Berkeley Art Center, Berkeley Ca.
- Line and Form, Hatley Martin Gallery, San Francisco Ca.
- hhhvHewlett Packard Gallery Group Show, Hewlett Packard Corporate Offices, Roseville Ca.
- Rising Stars Exhibition, 750 Gallery, Sacremento Ca.
- Artists for Amnesty, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis Ca.
- Artspace National Show, Artspace, Sacremento Ca.
- Gallery House Group Show, Gallery House, Palo Alto Ca.
- California Works Exhibition, California State Fair, Sacremento Ca.
- Solo Exhibition, Larry Butterworth, Calgene Corporate Headquarters, Davis Ca.
- Works on Paper, Davis Art Center, Davis Ca.
- San Diego Salon 2000, Arts College International, San Diego Ca.
- National Invitational Group Show, College of the Redlands, San Bernadino Ca.
- Shirley Stiles Gallery Solo Show, Overland Park Kansas. 2015
- Shirley Stiles Gallery Solo Show, Overland Park Kansas. 2017
Online Galleries
Website www.larry-butterworth.pixels.com
www. Redbubble.com
www.Fineartamerica.com
www.1x.com