Curt Butler Bio

Educated at Kent State University and The Savannah College of Art and Design, Curt Butler received both a Bachelor and Masters Degree in Fine Art. After graduating, he moved to Gastonia, North Carolina, and considers himself an artist who teaches and shares his knowledge with other aspiring artists. He has taught at various art schools including Braitman Studio, Gaston Day School, Gaston College, and Gaston School of the Arts. He has been asked to conduct guild workshops throughout North Carolina that have been attended by both art students as well as professional artists. “I enjoy sharing my passion and knowledge with others to create a journey for someone else.” In 2002, he was honored with the Teacher of the Year Award at Gaston Day School for his outstanding teaching abilities.

In 2006, he started his own business, Butler Studio, where he works on paintings for galleries, businesses and private collections. He renovated a 500 square foot space down the hall from his studio to conduct small master classes and workshops. The studio part of Butler Studio is a production facility where he generates roughly 90 to 120 paintings a year for galleries and private collections. The studio also operates as a gallery to showcase his work and is open to the public by appointment only. Quarterly gallery shows are scheduled throughout the year.

Butler’s current work is a mixture of oil paint and encaustic painting techniques. These techniques have afforded him the opportunity to experiment within the realm of mixed media. His paintings are often layered with multiple colors combinations that enhance the surface as well as create a tactile feeling to the surface of the painting. The textures are rich with both brushstroke and palette knife work. His paintings seem to come together at a distance with his imagery and yet work on a purely abstract level as you approach them. Most of his work is based in landscape yet it doesn’t seem to be about a particular place but instead speaks to a general mood or feeling he gets from having experienced the nature that surrounds him. His larger work envelopes you and is a powerful statement on any wall. His style is current with contemporary thoughts about the flat abstract nature of the picture plane vs. the illusion of space and he balances both of these ideas into a singular piece. His bold loose strokes seem to melt off the painting and at times drip as if there is something more meaningful beyond just the image.

Butler’s work is in numerous private collections has been represented at the following galleries:  Gem of Ashley, Dallas Art Museum, Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens, Gaston Day Gallery, Morris Street Gallery, The Design Gallery, Providence Gallery and The O'Brien Gallery.