Justin Butler
Contemporary landscape painter | Brighton & Hove
I'm a landscape painter based in Brighton & Hove, working between representation and abstraction.
My paintings are shaped by a fascination with landscapes formed over geological time, yet continually transformed by water, weather and shifting light.
With a background in physical geography, I bring an understanding of these processes to my painting, exploring not simply how a landscape looks, but how it changes and how it feels to experience it.
The work
My paintings explore the point at which landscape begins to dissolve into atmosphere.
Coastlines, lochs and wetlands are recurring starting points, but I'm less interested in describing a particular location than in capturing the movement of weather, the quality of reflected light and the memory of a place.
Working in layers of acrylic and oil, I use glazes, scraped passages and areas of texture to build surfaces that shift between clarity and ambiguity. Horizons often provide an anchor, while land, sea and sky merge and separate.
The finished paintings offer a sense of stillness and space for contemplation, even when the landscape itself is restless.
Background and training
Before developing my painting practice, I studied geomorphology and applied mathematics, completing a PhD at the University of Cambridge.
My scientific work explored the processes that shape landscapes, particularly the influence of water and environmental change. That perspective continues to inform how I observe and interpret the natural world.
I subsequently trained in art at Brighton Met College and the Apollon Art Studio in Florence, Italy, developing an approach that combines close observation with expressive colour, texture and abstraction.
Exhibitions
THE SUSSEX 2026: SHELTER
7–29 November 2026 | Sussex Contemporary
My Isle of Skye diptych has been selected for THE SUSSEX 2026: SHELTER, a group exhibition exploring the theme of shelter.
The painting draws on the experience of being caught in a storm on Skye, capturing the exposed landscape and the felt need for refuge as weather closes in.
