Theodore Earl Butler was an American impressionistic painter who was born in 1861 in Columbus, Ohio.
Butler studied in Marietta College in Ohio and graduated in 1882. He then moved to Paris to continue his art studies. There he befriended the artist Claude Monet. He married Monet’s step-daughter and was a founding member of the Society of Independent Artists.
He spent almost all of his adult life in Giverny, France. He was a member of the art colony there. Butler’s personal ties with the Monet’s gave him a deep understanding of the elder painter and influenced his work. Butler adapted the impressionist style to express his own work.
Students created these firework paintings using dramatic brush strokes and a layering technique that give the work a real feeling of energy. We imagined our fireworks taking place over water and added the reflections below.
Stunning work everyone!