As a woodworker, Steve has
been creating artwork for over ten years. He was born in Toronto, Ontario,
Canada. Butler began his woodworking career serving an apprenticeship in
Peterborough, Ontario.
After his apprenticeship he moved back to the Toronto
area where he worked in various woodworking studios making furniture for others.
As his passion for art and craft grew, he pursued formal training at Sheridan
College of Art and Design, majoring in furniture design. Graduating with honors,
he then went to Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario where he studied
technological education.
After graduating from Queens he moved to Marshfield,
Massachusetts where he taught woodworking at Marshfield High. Butler spent a
year in Marshfield and then moved to Worcester where he taught liberal arts at
Applewild School.
Steve has maintained his own
studio practice called Sherwood Design, while teaching, where he creates one-off
speculative pieces as well as client-based commissions.
He is the former
Department Head of the wood studio at the Worcester Center for Crafts in
Worcester, Massachusetts.
Steve approaches art and craft like composing music.
Both must speak of rhythm and proportion. Through the interconnection of parts
he strives to create forms that are engaging visually from all sides, developing
an interaction between viewer and object. Working primarily in wood,
He likes to mix media. Through the balanced use of materials he creates a line that
is both pleasing and easy for the eye to follow. Butler enjoys how the warmth of
wood and the contrast of metal come together to create a pleasing unified whole.
Steve organized and works with a group of Woodturners who meet at the Wood Studio once a month at Peters Valley. For more information on the Water Gap Woodturners, click here.
Steve was also featured in "500 Chairs", recently published and released, and will be featured in the near future in "500 Tables".
View some of Steve's work... |
