Contributed by Sharon Butler / Katie Butler (no relation to me as far as we know) creates vivid still life paintings that dive into the fraught realms of American politics and economics, riffing ironically on the “kitchen-table” and “bread-and-butter” issues affecting average people that political figures are supposed to address. While she establishes a journalistic sense of authenticity by sourcing her imagery from White House archives and the Ohio Statehouse, the discrepancy between reality and painted presentation raises burning questions about the veracity and integrity of the sources.
Her approach draws on the work of sixteenth-century masters Pieter Aertsen and Joachim Beauckelaer, who showcased the lives of the poor alongside lofty biblical scenes. Katie’s updated counterpoint is between the unvarnished facts of Americans’ everyday lives and the lavish tablescapes of state dinners. Katie’s distorted perspectives and radically scaled contrasts expose the disconnect between those in power and the lives of the “little people” they claim to serve, and the consequent brittleness of the democratic republic they purport to safeguard.
Leveraging symbols of prosperity and opulence, Katie ultimately seeks to illuminate the increasing tension between the abundance of the few and the struggle of the many, between macroeconomic growth and ground-level decline.
About the artist: Katie Butler lives in Ohio, where she completed a BFA from the University of Akron and an MFA from Kent State University. She has had solo shows at Hesse Flatow in New York and Abattoir Gallery in Cleveland. In 2024, her work was included in “Moreover: 50 Paintings,” curated by Michelle Grabner at the Green Gallery in Milwaukee,WI, the Hesse Flatow presentation at 2025 Dallas Art Fair, in Deanna Evans Projects Flatfile, and has also appeared in prominent publications such as New American Paintings and Harper’s. She was an Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grantee and has participated in residencies at Byrdcliffe Arts Colony in Woodstock, NY, and Alfred University in Düsseldorf, Germany. She is a part-time member of the art faculty at Kent State University. Follow @katiebutlerstudio on Instagram.
Katie Butler, Two Coats of Paint Artist Residency, June 8–13, 2025
Open Studio: Thursday, June 12, 3–6 pm. Listen to Katie’s studio playlist here.
Two Coats of Paint
22-19 41st Avenue, 6th Floor, Studio #10
Long Island City, NY
For more information, or to arrange a studio visit, please contact:
STAFF@twocoatsofpaint.com. Please put KATIE BUTLER in the subject line
About the author: Sharon Butler is a painter and the publisher of Two Coats of Paint.
Really inspired by Katie Butler’s approach—using still life to confront political and economic narratives is both timely and sharp. Her use of historical references alongside contemporary issues creates such a rich tension. Grateful for platforms like Two Coats that spotlight this kind of work.
– zeb restrepo
sebastians-arts.com | @liloddboyzeb