Troy Butler is known for his quirky cafes with ever-changing decors but this weekend another side of him will be on display.
"It’s something that has been quite hidden, so I’m a little nervous. You put so much effort in; it is a bit daunting."
Those changing decors and walls filled with artists’ work should have been a giveaway but to many he has just been a keen supporter of the arts community.
And that is all it has been for 11 years. But with some prodding from good friends, Butler is rediscovering his love for creating art.
It is one he gave up after high school despite having won scholarships to Elam and Ilam art schools.
"I didn’t want to be a poor artist, so I started working [in] hospitality."
More than a decade later Butler, who is still immersed in hospitality as co-owner of Morning Magpie and used to own a second cafe, admits art-making has always been a niggle in the back of his mind.
With a bit of prodding from friends aware of his artistic talent, Butler found and bought a printmaking press. Printmaking had been what really drew him when he fell in love with art at high school — when he gave up all subjects but arts.
Those friends continued to remind him gently of his love for art and he set up a studio space at home.
"I’ve had a lot of time to mull over what I want to do."
Butler has chosen to use an "obscure" printmaking method to create his works called photolithography, which involves applying ink to a specialised paper which uses a chemical reaction to create a print over a chosen photograph.
"It mimics original photography. I’m also playing around with gouache to add a more personal touch."
It is painstakingly delicate work as each plate can be used only once, or maybe twice.
"The plates deteriorate incredibly quickly. These are one-offs."
The whole process is a bit of a thrill, or gamble, he says.
"It can take 20 minutes to an hour to get a plate ready and if you don’t get everything perfect, you put it through the press and it comes out rubbish and you have to start again. It can be a fun, disappointing thrill.
He has maintained a friendship with his art teacher from high school and is in regular contact, checking out how he did things back then.
"I don’t really know anyone else doing things this way."
The process he is following is similar to the one he used in high school and gives a monotone, dreamy finish to his works. His high school folio was themed on a loss of identity as a result of his uncle being shot down during World War 2 in Egypt.
"I had his diary to go through, lots of imagery of him. So that was a good starting point for me to explore. It’s a nice theme to continue to explore. Not specifically him but loss of identity in general."
Last year, one of his good friends, Prudence Jopson, co-curated "Mental Health — Response Received” and encouraged Butler to submit a work, which he did. It was an A1-sized print of the waterfall in Glenleith where there are glowworms.
It was at that exhibition that Hilary Radner from RDS Gallery saw his work.
"It stayed in my memory as did that of Prudence Jopson. So there was a great deal of serendipity involved," Radner said.
When it came time to organise her annual group show of artists she has not shown before, she invited Butler and later Jopson to exhibit.
"One of them, Times Square, and Elmo who chased me after taking a photo because I didn’t give him money — they’re a little bit dystopian when you put them through the process."
As he hates to name his works, he has given the geo-co-ordinates for the place where the photo was taken.
"I don’t want to force my opinions on viewers so if they are interested they can look it up to see where it is. It adds another fun layer to it."
He admits he is still struggling with the work-life balance, as despite selling the other cafe, he is extending Morning Magpie, which he admits in hindsight is just like opening a second business.
"Trying to make sure I’m looking after myself, my dog, my partner and also try to do art. I have to be in the right mindset to do it. When there are a hundred other things going on that could take priority.
"It’s often someone else putting pressure on me. I work better under pressure."
When he does get in the zone, he does enjoy making, and it reminds him why he fell in love with it in the first place.
"Not just printmaking. I love interior design, rearranging, it keeps it fresh and new. I love broader spectrum of being creative which I suppose filled the hole when I wasn’t making."
"I know how hard realistically that can be. Not practising for so long I’ve managed to keep my foot in the door by obtaining a collection of art, supporting friends who are artists and hosting gallery shows here. Also realistically knowing how hard it is and how unobtainable it can be."
He and Jopson are joined in the exhibition by Dunedin Art School graduate students Pippi Miller and Hemi Hosking, Hana Pera Aoake (Ngati Hinerangi, Ngati Mahuta, Tainui/Waikato, Ngati Waewae), Wesley John Fourie, James Thomson-Bache and Taarn Scott, who also helped curate the exhibition.
For Radner, whose gallery is just around the corner from Butler’s cafe, the links with the neighbourhood are important.
"My sense is that we have a group of artists here that represents many facets of the Dunedin community, underlining that the city’s tradition as a ‘nurse to the imagination’ is still alive and well when it comes to the visual arts."
The gallery has not hosted its usual public reception when opening an exhibition due to the pandemic as the gallery is quite small. So when Butler suggested having it at his cafe, which is also opening as a bar, it seemed the perfect solution as it has much more space including outdoor seating.
"Neighbourhoods like ours are important to nurturing the city’s heritage. Gathering places with local art on their walls, such as Morning Magpie, that serve fine coffee, in a setting that encourages conversations, have an important role in fostering a community that supports creativity."
TO SEE
Shifting Channels, RDS Gallery, Dunedin, June 24-July 23
