Meet a Boxer: Lucille Butler '16

Lucilla Butler '16
Art Education | Eugene Campus

I graduated from Edinburgh college of Art in 1997 and spent six months painting in India before settling in Santa Barbara for seven years and then finally moving on to Eugene.

I was, am still, profoundly influenced by the moors and mountains of Scotland and Northern England, I still search for landscapes that give me the depth and subtlety of those earlier images.

When I came to the USA I hiked the extensive trails of where I lived and camped out when I had the opportunity. I read the local history, especially those of the local Indians as a way to get closer to and understand the land.

When I lived In Santa Barbara there were many beautiful creeks flanked by oaks and sycamores that were a great source of sustenance and life in that often arid county. Those pockets of life fed my curiosity to understand and travel deeper into the soul of the earth and explore how nature can reflect the intricacies of our inner world. Some of my paintings verge more towards the dream acting as portals to the many dimensions of the imagination.

Now that I have moved to Eugene the nearby forests and trees seem lush and full of life. However they tell a slightly different story than Santa Barbara because the very nature of Oregon’s forests have been dramatically changed because of logging. The few old growth areas are like gold dust. I wish to somehow record these precious monuments and maybe even inspire people to protect what we have left.