Weldon Butler (1941-2019) began studying to become an artist when he was a teenager, looking at art at the local museum and training at Fleischer Art Memorial in Philadelphia. He moved to the Pacific Northwest in 1968 and studied art at Green River College before moving to Seattle in 1973, where he first showed his works at Bumbershoot and the Capitol Hill gallery and/or. Inspired by modern abstract art, Weldon created paintings, collage, prints, photographs and sculpture. His employment background was industrial, including a stint as a toolmaker at Boeing, which exposed to various types of materials. He was also inspired by the patterns and shapes in cities, and considered himself “a sculptor who makes prints and drawings.” Butler’s work is in the collections of several art institutions, including the African American Museum in Philadelphia, and the Seattle Art Museum, yet he has often been overlooked because his works lacks political or social statements.

Here, Weldon Butler is reflected in a mirror in his storefront studio in the Madrona neighborhood, holding a model airplane. The original collage for his print “La Femme” hangs to the left, and tools and materials fill the lower foreground.

Caption information source: “ Weldon Butler boldly exposes the community to his abstract city visions,” by Regina Hackett, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, February 17, 2002, retrieved at https://www.seattlepi.com/entertainment/article/weldon-butler-boldly-exposes-the-community-to-his-1080547.php
Caption information source: “Weldon Butler: Selected Works”, by Matthew Kangas, February 2018, retrieved at https:// preview-art.com/feature/weldon-butler-selected-works on January 17, 2025.