I'd like to think there's something different about my art, something that makes you stop and say, "That's a Tom Butler." It might be the hidden collage elements, a twist on perspective, or the children’s illustrator in me being a little mischievous. I don't just paint cities like London, Venice or New York. I paint their stories and their quirks, and hopefully I take you all with me.
The Early Days
I’ve always loved experimenting. I studied for an illustration degree at Swansea University, and it was there that I became interested in photomontage and layering. I went on to co-write a children’s book with my grandfather about a clumsy bat.
I started out painting and decorating whilst trying to make it as an artist. Eventually, in 2013, I had my first major solo show in London. This meant that I could swap my garden shed for an actual, real-life studio. Since then, I’ve had the pleasure of travelling the world, which has been pretty surreal.
Along with meeting my collectors at events, some of my pinch-me moments have included meeting the British Olympian Dame Kelly Holmes (who owns one my pieces!) and completing two commissions for Sky.
Inspirations
I’ve been lucky enough to capture places like Venice, New York, Sydney, Paris and the Italian Riviera. Whenever I travel, I love to take photographs and collect newspapers and magazines for my collage details.
England can be just as spectacular: one of my favourite places to visit with my wife and two children is Cornwall. It's what it means to have a British seaside holiday: ice cream, fish and chips, rock pools, sunshine, rain and seagulls. London is also incredible.
As I developed my own style and techniques, I was inspired by the photojournalist Dan Eldon and cityscape artists such as Mike Bernard, Luke Martineau and Colin Ruffell. Abstract art intrigues me: I respect the difficulty of creating something beautiful without a reference.
"Using mixed media helps to keep everything unpredictable. I like to be humorous with my art. If you look closely, you’ll notice a little wordplay in the titles, a familiar face in the composition, or maybe a tongue-in-cheek slogan. The nice thing about doing what I do is that there is a never-ending source of inspiration."