David Porteous-Butler

David Porteous-Butler was born in North London in 1945 and his childhood was spent in and around Highgate. He settled in Suffolk in 1978.

David knew from a very early age that his purpose in life was to be an artist and he studied in London under the late Sir Kyffin Williams RA and Anthony Green RA before being offered a place at the Royal College of Art.

Unable to take up his place at the RCA for personal reasons, David spent some time working in the fashion business as a very successful designer. This period heightened his awareness of shape and form, before he returned to his true vocation as a painter and sculptor.

David is truly a protégé of, and remained close to Sir Kyffin Williams RA until his death in 2006. He shares Kyffin's fundamental belief that drawing and draughtsmanship are a vital part of the artist's craft.

His work reveals an honest and direct affinity with his subject that is driven by his love of the natural world.

Like his mentor, he has a passion for the vitality of the landscape and changing light around him. Suffolk provides much inspiration and the English countryside is a true love, although he has also worked extensively in Southern Europe including time in France and Italy. Working with a limited palette, he is always faithful to the truth in what he sees.

His portraits reveal the same integrity, and his sculptures, whether in bronze, stone or marble, are faithful to his belief in a natural and simple beauty in all things. They assume the life and presence of the subject matter, both in their execution and in how they relate to their surroundings.

David's work is in collections in the UK, France, Italy and the USA. He regularly exhibits in and around the county.