From Venice to New York, Tom Butler's mixed media cityscapes take collectors around the world. Just as a tourist seeks to find the hidden gems of each city, viewers can immerse themselves in his latest large-scale artworks to uncover the humour and draughtsman's precision that have established him as one of the UK's most exciting cityscape artists. For his new series of London-themed original paintings, the contemporary artist and trained illustrator has embraced a stripped back, spontaneous style that empowers collectors to bring the capital city into the heart of their home or office space.
Created by hand in Tom's studio, the atmospheric London scenes are upscaled versions of his popular smaller studies. Great for mixing and matching with previous pieces, these one-of-a-kind artworks are incredible when viewed from a distance, offering an immersive perspective of iconic landmarks like Piccadilly Circus, The Shard, Big Ben and London Bridge. To capture the unique energy of London, he has experimented with a new, almost monochromatic colour palette and a stripped back style.
Each hand-signed original artwork has been painted in acrylics on a weaved, textured paper that has been painstakingly bonded to a board. When viewed up close, this creates a sense of freedom and authenticity, while Tom recommends standing back to experience the full impact.
“These pieces are less about layers, and more about simplicity," he says. "There’s a stripped back spontaneity. I've mixed straight edges with abstract areas and clusters of detail, but I'd describe the style as Impressionism. Light is always important to my work: it's something that people can feel, whether it's a warmth, glare or reflection. I don't want my paintings to simply be photorealistic; they have something to say, which I like to highlight through elements of collage and typography."
PICCADILLY AND EROS STUDY | £2,750
London was a great source of inspiration for the collection, as Tom has a personal connection to the capital city and often travels there to take photographs and discover new vantage points. He adds: "There's something very timeless about London. It's also architecturally interesting, as there is such a mixture of old and new. The black-and-white colour palette has an understated elegance that makes these works feel incredibly authentic.
"Working with a limited colour palette promotes a synergy throughout the pieces, and by using both straight edge tools and flat brushes over the natural pattern created by weave paper, I was able to authentically sketch out the cityscapes using paint rather than traditional graphite or charcoal. The inclusion of collage was minimal to give them a touch of that graphic mixed media look I so love. I found that using too many layers of collage lessened the texture coming through from the the paper underneath. The finishing details were added in pen and ink to give a crispness and definition to the structures and details."
Discover Tom's inspirations
