Before the age of ten, Anthony Butts, popularly known as Antonio, realised his artistic talent. He believes that being artistic is a “God-given talent” everyone has, all they have to do is “discover their potential”.
In 1977, the self-taught artist held his first solo exhibition in Georgetown. Later that year, he was awarded first prize in the National Art Exhibition and Competition. His paintings were exhibited at the first Caribbean Festival of Arts held in Guyana.
In 1980, he designed and laid out the Guyana Booth for the International Trade Exhibition in Suriname, on behalf of the Guyana Government. His artwork was shown at various galleries in Suriname before he migrated to Trinidad.
He continued to work in the graphic arts industry, where his growing proficiency in the field is evident in select pieces of his work displayed in stores and supermarkets.
“I didn’t choose art, art chose me. Even though we didn’t have art in college, I went to other schools that taught art, where I received an amount of training. I had a burning desire that’s difficult to explain. My inspiration comes from my Creator who has given me this gift. I now teach art to students that we are all born with this God-given talent; it’s just that we have not discovered our potential. I paint and draw every day because there is a burning desire to share my talent and show the beauty of life,” the artist shared in an interview with Sunday Times Magazine.
Anthony has been working with the Studio 66 Art Support Community in Trinidad since 1999, tutoring art students and exhibiting his own work since its inception. Studio 66, a melting pot of diverse talents, has been the nucleus of the art scene where many artists from all parts of the country and beyond meet and exchange ideas. One of the better known projects the artist has worked on with the Studio team is the painting of a mural in the Panberri Steelband Yard. He has taken part in a number of art exhibitions through Studio 66, including their annual Emancipation exhibition at the Queen’s Park Savannah. Artists associated with Studio 66, Makemba Kunle and Leroy Clarke, have exerted a great deal of influence over Anthony’s work and helped him developed his own style.
Being a member of the Trinidad and Tobago Arts Society, Anthony has taken part in its annual and bi-annual art exhibitions. He has also assisted and directed the students of St Georges College in painting and designing the walls of the St James Child’s Welfare League and has been conducting workshops in Wire Sculpture for beginners, also tutoring children art and art education at various schools and organisations.
Continuing his work in the arts and culture, the artist is an adjudicator of national calypso competitions and a coordinator for the judges of national carnival competitions.
Anthony’s work expresses images that reflect the multi-cultural society that encompasses the Caribbean. His themes are drawn from various aspects of the diversity of the Caribbean culture. For instance, his “Pan Explosion” emphasizes the themes of music and masquerade. 
The artist uses acrylics and watercolours in most of his work, relying on other materials, such as chalk pastel and ink, to bring out the substance of his work. One of his passions, pyrographics, has led him to experiment with various techniques and styles. Pyrographics, also known as wood burning, is an artistic technique that uses a hot tool to burn wood, leather, canvas, paper and others, creating a design, drawing or painting.
“For me, art is a personal expression on canvas that the artist shares with the wider society. It’s not static. Like culture, it changes form with the times. Art is subjective and therefore infinite; it’s beyond verbal expression, and quietly speaks for itself. My art is my life. When I paint, I paint of myself. When I share, I share part of me, exposed to the world. I paint in a style that best express my ‘Caribbeaness’,” he declared.
For more information on the artist, visit Antonio Butts – Masada ART on Facebook or email him at abutts2k11@gmail.com (Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)
