Paul Butvila

Paul Butvila is an artist in high demand and it’s easy to see why when you take a look at his stunning portraits, they seem to capture a moment perfectly. We caught up with Paul to find out how he became such a distinguished artist...

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“Firstly, I am from Canada although, originally born in the UK, specifically Chingford.

I first started painting (traditionally) with those hairy brushes when I was in my late teens. I painted in oils at that time, small landscapes and such, but realized it just wasn’t for me and soon gave up the illustrious career of an Artist. I didn’t pick up a brush again until I was in my 20’s. It was after seeing the amazing illustrations on book covers by Artist, Boris Vellajo, that I thought to myself; this is what I wanted to paint. I struggled for about a year or so before making a bold move to try and speak with Boris, long story short... I actually went to see Boris in his studio in New York where I sat each day and watched him paint, I was in heaven! When I got home my paintings seemed to just flow from my brush and were 100% better than before my visit.

I guess I would say I was self taught, other than the valuable instruction I received from Boris.