Richard J. Butler’s alluring paintings skirt the boundary between figuration and abstraction. Constructed of intricate surfaces built up in layers of grated pastel, acrylic gel and paint, his works often depict motifs such as vessels, silhouettes and celestial bodies, which appear to dissolve within vast colour fields. Butler’s works are imbued with a sense of balance, peace and serenity which is achieved through their minimal yet richly textured compositions. Over the past ten years, the artist has developed a unique technique which consists of pressing blankets onto the still wet painting, a method similar to that of decalcomania. When viewed from a distance, recognisable forms appear while up-close, miniature abstract landscapes abound, creating sensual and hallucinatory surfaces that explore painting’s illusionistic potential. 

Butler’s work is held in private collections in the UK, USA, Italy, France and Belgium. He has exhibited with Hannah Barry Gallery, London; Canopy Collections, London; Bowman Sculpture, London; Masterpiece Art Fair, London; Modernity Stockholm, London; J. Hammond Projects, London; ATTIC, Brussels; Kreuzberg Pavilion, Berlin; KARST, Plymouth.