Paul Butterworth Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom
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Paul Butterworth artist is a film/TV actor and abstract painter. He trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama, London 1974 to 1977, graduated from Leeds Beckett University in 1988 with a BA in History and English, and completed his BA Hons Painting, University for the Creative Arts in October 2023. He graduates on January 19 2024.

My work is called constructed geometric abstraction because it builds meaning from shapes and colours rather than starting with reality and abstracting it into shapes and colours. ​ The meaning comes from the drama of the colours and the subconscious and emotional narrative played out on the canvas.

In acting I am in the moment between 'Action' and 'Cut' and then my work is finished. I have the same feeling towards my paintings. 'Action' is when I start a painting and 'Cut' is when I've completed it. When I've completed a painting I just want it to go out into the world and connect. ​ My process is to start by drawing the shapes directly onto the canvas with no colour. Once the shapes are resolved I add my grid lines. I use masking tape for my grid lines but all my other lines/edges are hand painted. After the grid lines I start adding my colours. To achieve the depth of colour I use two, three, or even four coats of SoFlat Golden Acrylic. Each new colour creates a new painting. So, in effect, I make multiple paintings with the final painting being the resolved canvas.

Artwork

Follow Your Dreams, SoFlat Acrylic on canvas, 2023, £399

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Working Round the Clock, SoFlat Acrylic on canvas, 2023, £399

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For sale

LBW, Acrylic in canvas, 2023, £399

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For sale

Innocent Rose, Acrylic on canvas, 2023, £370

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Assemble Here, Acrylic on canvas, 2023, £380

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For sale

Spinning Plates, Acrylic on canvas, 2023, £390

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Projects and exhibitions

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Nostairway Creative Xmas art exhibition

14/12/2023

2023 – 14th December – Nostairway Creative Xmas art exhibition (Video production company in London) - Xmas art exhibition. Three renowned artists, three stunning works mounted on our chroma blue screen. Paul Butterworth - Michele D'Acosta – Sangeeta Weatherley. Nostairway Creative - The Barley Mow Centre, 10 barley Mow Passage - Chiswick...

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Nostairway Creative, Chiswick, London Details

THE 2023 SHOW @ META SPACE GALLERY

01/12/2023 — ongoing

The Meta Space Gallery is proud to announce the 2023 show which showcases artists best works from the year 2023! Curated by Joshua Obara Norwood. https://metaspacegallery.com/exhibitions/2023-2/the-2023-show-meta-space-gallery/?fbclid=IwAR0y1rQ0nbFm5AVSPoXZqEJd40UYDg_D5Ty0dhWDgXLVegoWbmLX444Nudg

Online Details

Southwark Park Galleries - ANNUAL OPEN EXHIBITION 2023

11/11/2023 — ongoing

The Annual Open exists to encourage artists at all stages of their career from across the UK to submit their work as part of a large-scale annual salon show. Since the gallery opened in 1984, the Annual Open has been a highlight of Southwark Park Galleries’ calendar.

The exhibition showcases the diverse practices of artists working today,...

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Southwark Park Galleries, London Details

The Drama of Colours

11/08/2023 — 13/08/2023

This was my solo degree show of 12 paintings hung in the Cambridge Artspace. The Cambridge Artspace is a white walled gallery run by the Cambridge Artworks - an art collective of 18 artists. The gallery is for their work but they occasionally rent it out to independent artists.

Cambridge Artspace, Cambridge Details

SPACE - Circular Artspace, Bristol - The 8th Community Art Exhibition in Virtual Reality

17/07/2023 — ongoing

Circular Artspace is a community Art venue in Bristol with a remit to support emerging artists and recent graduates. It supports local Bristol artists with physical exhibitions and UK wide emerging artists with online exhibitions.

Online Details

D31 Gallery - Graduate Exhibition 2022

26/11/2022 — ongoing

D31 is a thriving three story gallery in the centre of Doncaster with fantastic outreach, good footfall, and excellent community connections putting on a regular series of solo and group shows over the year. This show is for students who are currently studying art or graduated within the last two years. I have three pieces (the maximum) of work...

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D31 Gallery, Doncaster, Doncaster Details

Bowery Visual Arts exhibition

01/11/2022 — ongoing

Group show of seven artists in the gallery's new exhibition space. The blurb says... "The aim of the bowery gallery is to offer an innovative, stimulating and diverse showcase for the best emerging talent around, it is a place for engaging with contemporary art that will surprise and challenge."

Bowery Visual Arts, Headingley (North Leeds) Details

The Mercer Open

17/09/2022 — ongoing

This is a high status show at a well respected gallery curated by Courtney Spencer. The show runs up until 8 Jan 2023

The Mercer Art Gallery, Harrogate Details

UNAPOLOGETICALLY ME EXHIBITION

19/07/2022 — 21/07/2022

An MA degree show by Norwich University student Sophie Taylor studying curation. The theme was 'Identity' and featured 15 artists. Sophie also made an instagram account and I had an instagram takeover for the day. I attended the artist's talk. https://www.instagram.com/empowering_arts_platform/

The Space, Roundtree Way, Norwich Details

Collect Art Spring Issue - 2022

31/05/2022 — ongoing

Collect Art is an online and print art magazine... "Independent ad-free online art gallery, dedicated to discovering and promoting art. A common space for artists, photographers, designers, and other artists." https://www.collectartwork.org

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2022 - THE NTKO AFFORDABLE ART EXHIBITION, Louth. 7th - 14th May 2022 (Four paintings accepted)

07/05/2022 — 21/05/2022

Small independent gallery in Louth, Lincolnshire. Four paintings accepted. (They extended the exhibition by a week)

NTKO Gallery, Louth Details

Featured on Northern Art Collective Instagram page.

01/02/2022 — 31/03/2022

Northern Art Collective featured one artist with a northern connection every day for a month. Curated by Chloe Reynolds.

northern.art.collective Instagram page. Details

Haus-A-Rest (zine) - article on colour published in 'Writing - Issue 21 - Colour'

01/02/2022 — 31/03/2022

Article on colour published in online art magazine published by two Phd students.

https://haus-a-rest.squarespace.com/issue-21-writing-colour (Third article down). Details

Awaiting Voices

30/09/2021 — ongoing

An online group exhibition of artists from around the world curated by Aishwarya Kulkarni and Sunaina Kahandelwal from Sept 30, 2021 - Oct 30, 2021. Every contributor is also interviewed online. Website: www.mi-sul-com

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CALL FOR ARTISTS: Supporting the Arts 2021 Online Exhibition curated by Bobby Forsythe

01/08/2021 — ongoing

Supporting the Arts was created last year (2020) by artist, Bobby Forsythe. She curated an online Instagram exhibition to help support other UK artists during a difficult time in the midst of a pandemic. Forsythe wanted to create an online community that came together and supported each others creativity. It proved a success and she welcomes...

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OPEN CALL for Interim Arts Instagram Account

23/07/2021

Open Call to contemporary artists for the Interim Arts Instagram page. Each artist will have three posts about them and their work curated by the Interim team.

Interim Arts are a contemporary arts collective providing a platform for artists to showcase work made ‘in the meantime’. The idea of the meantime suggests impressions, ambiguous...

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Abstract Expressionists 'Artist of the Week' on Fine Art America

01/01/2021 — 07/01/2021

The Abstract Expressionist group on Fine Art America (1841 members) select an 'Artist of the Week' each week.

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#simoncartertakeover OCA Instagram takeover

30/08/2020 — 31/08/2020

1 of 58 paintings chosen by Simon Carter for the 1st OCA guest curation of Painting/Drawing students' work across all courses/all years.

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Posers at 30

04/12/2019 — 19/01/2020

Celebrating 30 years of weekly Life Drawing sessions at the Cambridge School of Art, professional and amateur artists, illustrators, designers, architects, painters, sculptors, students and those who just enjoy drawing come together to exhibit their intriguing and eclectic works in this fascinating balcony exhibition running co-currently with...

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Ruskin Gallery, Cambridge, Cambridge Details

Transition Art magazine.

11/06/2019 — 11/09/2019

My review on Unnatural Wonders by Arthur C. Danto was published in issue 2 of Transition Art magazine.

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New OCA Interior Design Foundation Course.

01/11/2018 — 01/06/2019

1 NOVEMBER 2018 New distance learning course: Foundations in Interior Design. One of my assessment paintings from Drawing 1 was selected to advertise the OCA's new Interior Design Foundation course.

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Logo design for East of England OCA group

01/07/2017 — ongoing

My logo was chosen for the East on England OCA group.

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East of England regional Open College of the arts group

01/06/2017 — ongoing

Co-founder of East of England regional OCA group.

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