Butkui Chiu (b.1948)

Seattle artist Butkui Chiu had long been making graphic representations. But while working in the design field, the subjects were always mechanical. In the early 1990’s he decided to try drawing the organic. He attended life drawing sessions around town. This eventually led him to classes at School of Visual Concepts, Gage Academy, Cornish College of the Arts, and enrollment in the painting program at University of Washington. For twenty years the artist was actively engaged in painting and drawing. He participated in member shows, and was the solo artist at Art Not Terminal Gallery in October, 2004. At the end of that month, however, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. He came to discover that the PD gene runs in the family, usually affecting the elderly. He believes that the use of solvent in oil painting may have contributed to the early on-set of the disease in his mid fifties. Although environmental effects on PD has not been clinically proven, he urges artists to be very aware of chemical toxicity in their environment.

“I prefer painting and drawing from life. The result is not realism, but a synthesis of the mind and the senses. My compositions can be minimalistic. At other times, I would include items or images in loose associations, that allows viewers ample room for interpretation, hopefully leading to a personal connection with the work.”