Top left: Gorilla WarfareRecent interview with local starving artist Raymond Butler. A man of many talents in the arts, music and taekwondo. He has shown at local galleries such as H. Paxton Moore fine art and The Kettle to name a few... okay so maybe that is all he has shown at so far not counting a bare city wall or train car but his art is defiantly worth checking out.
(Jess) What is the significance of your post-apocalyptic concepts and is your animal imagery symbolic?
(Ray) Well I guess the idea is that there is an unheard of or unseen war that people tend not to recognize or acknowledge between ourselves and the animals and planet. The animals are trying to adapt and survive everything we are doing to this planet. We are destroying their habitats with our buildings we are destroying their food supply by cutting down their trees. The animals do not even have the same diets they used to. They are entering our city areas more and more looking for food and shelter cause maybe that is where they were born or use to live. People do not seem to care that we are being brutal to the animal world.
Take for instance when someone hits a dog they say "oh well it was just a dog" and keep driving they don't seem to freak out as much as if they hit a human. I think that it should be just as serious. I try to show in some of my paintings that if you are brutal to an animal it is just as serious as if you are brutal to a person.
(Jess) What is the reason behind your use of such vibrant colors?
(Ray) I use the vibrant happy colors as a play on how people seem to not take the damage we are doing to the planet and its inhabitants very seriously. For instance in my piece "Gorilla warfare" the colors are happy and the imagery of the baboon with his mouth open appearing to be laughing or yelling a war cry, depending on how you view it. People have been divided on what is going on in this piece. Some think the baboon is laughing and some see the pain behind its expression.
(Jess) As an artist that has had his "gallery cherry" popped is there any advice you would give to the virginal artists out there?
(Ray) I would tell them don't let anyone censor you. Paint, sculpt, and write exactly what you want to do. This is the world inside your head and you are writing it down on paper, painting it on canvas or sculpting it and it should be what you want it to be. You are taking something that was not 3d and bringing it into this world and it should not be watered down by other peoples opinions as that would just defeat the purpose of art.
(Jess) Where will we be able to see your artwork next?
(Ray) The next thing for the Ray-man in the art world is the "Cash for cash" fundraiser show at Hal Samples gallery in Deep elum on June 10th. And there are a few other festivals and events later this summer that have not been confirmed yet.
Raymond butlers work and info of upcoming shows can be found on:
I'm only pointing this out because I find it humorous, but... anybody else get visions of "The Scream" with that first piece?
ReplyDeleteTotally a compliment Ray-man.