Dana Butler

A native of Reno, Nevada, Dana had two childhood passions - horses and art - that she never outgrew. Like many children, she enjoyed drawing, and copying the”funnies” every Sunday. She was discouraged from engaging in art as a “frivolous waste of time.” She was directed into a “practical” but, in her words, “soul-killing” career in the criminal justice system. Along the way, she left her career to spend five years training and galloping racehorses in Southern California, seen in photo with her racehorse, Seattle Shadow, grandson of the late Triple Crown winner, Seattle Slew. Not surprisingly, she is an avid admirer of the English painter Sir Alfred Munnings.

After 40 years in her high-stress professional-technical career, she escaped and began pursuing her life-long dream of becoming an artist. Jumping in head-first, she studied art full time at numerous locations in the Seattle area, including the University of Washington Department of Architecture, classical art at Gage (The Academy of Realist Art), industrial arts at Pratt, craft arts at the Schack Art Center, Jewelry fabrication at Danaca, and fine art at Cole Art Studio, as well as over 15 others, including studying filmmaking in Paris, and attending several courses at the University of the Arts London. A lifetime of art deprivation led to an incurable curiosity about every medium. She has studied dozens of diverse disciplines.

Dana has made her home in the Seattle area for nearly 30 years. She has participated in a number of juried art shows and art fairs. Her unique line of jewelry can be found at Art Spot in Edmonds.

One of her biggest joys is teaching. She enjoys sharing the joy of art, igniting artistic growth, and bringing fun and creativity to the art process.  She strives to keep learning, to keep growing as an artist, to do the work of her heart, and to help others do the same, especially those new to art.