After Hours

There’s a certain theatricality to New York City after dark—light
stacked on light, structures competing with their own reflections. The
sweep of the Brooklyn Bridge acts almost like a drawbridge into the
hedonism of Manhattan beyond, while its iconic twin arches a defiant
reminder of the city’s Victorian roots.

When I visited again in April 2025 (my fifth time), I was struck by
how parts of Manhattan can feel oddly suspended in time—a kind of
preserved, working museum hiding in plain sight among the neon and
glass. Night scenes like this give me a perfect playground to explore
those layers: structure and shadow, history and spectacle, and the
quieter details tucked between all the drama.

"Being challenged daily and discovering new and exciting ways of pushing boundaries keeps me motivated. My mixed media landscapes have something to say, which I like to express with collage and typography."

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Butler creates this narrative with an expert use of characterisation; the people that occupy his scenes, a stylised representation of society that has often been compared to L.S. Lowry, are complemented and modernised with Butler’s collages.His inclusion of newspaper text, slogans, statements or a single word, adds a depth and intrigue that keeps the audience hooked.This murmur from the artist, a quiet commentary accompanying the scene itself can be likened to the hum of the city, the gentle chatter of a metropolis. With this, Butler brings an essence of the City onto our walls and into our homes.