Artist Tom Butler brings his new tour to Chichester

The Cutting Edge: Tom Butler UK tour 2019 comes to Chichester’s Whitewall Galleries (Saturday, January 26, 4-6pm).

Gallery manager Amy Jackson labelled him one of the UK’s most acclaimed and innovative cityscape artists. Tom will visit the gallery to open a new exhibition of his work.

“This will include a range of luminous original collages alongside a major new collection of limited editions. Every purchaser at this event will receive a complimentary copy of Cutting Edge, a beautiful new hardback book about the artist’s work and world, which will be personally dedicated to them by Tom – a wonderful collector’s item and memento.

“In 2004, Tom and his wife took a holiday in the south of France and visited a beautiful town called Uzès. He was mesmerised by the light, colour and textures – the bright awnings and parasols amongst weathered stone buildings, shuttered facades and crumbling masonry and les publicités anciennes, huge, faded adverts from bygone days that used to be hand painted onto the sides of buildings.”

Tom said: “Maybe this is where my attraction to having text within a painting began. Every angle of this town was an artist’s delight. With photos galore, I set about recreating what I’d experienced as soon as I returned. The resulting artwork proved successful with local galleries and ultimately paved the way for my love of capturing cityscapes. Tom Butler the artist was born here!”

Amy added: “The scenes he creates are true to life whilst retaining a whimsical charm and are crammed with ideas and incident. In his imaginative approach, a section of a crossword puzzle may become a block of flats, a wine bottle, or a church spire; words are everywhere, and this unique approach adds intrigue, resonance and a touch of humour to every scene. The words which are so important to the shaping of each scene have been chosen by the artist, but he leaves it up to the viewer to decide what they mean and why they have been chosen.

“Tom’s collages are absolute showstoppers. They combine realism and impressionism to offer a really exciting alternative take on modern life. There’s so much detail and energy in each one, as well as charm and humour – just like the artist himself! We can’t wait to welcome Tom into the gallery to introduce him to all our friends in the area.”

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