Michael Butler came late to art—in his early thirties. He had been a wanderer and had known trouble, very serious trouble. Art both challenged and settled him; and his world changed. What follows is about him, and the inter-linking of two works of art. One a canonical work by a Northern Renaissance master, the other a major work by a little-known Australian artist. Curtain up …

Initially trained as a printmaker (under Michael Kempson, Bruce Latimer and Rew Hanks) Michael Butler enjoyed the form, was thought to be thematically impressive, but technically a bit rough-around-the edges. Eventually he decided printmaking didn’t really suit—a bit stitched up, too many rules—so he circled back to what he loved most anyway—collage, drawing and assemblage.

Rated by those who knew his work (particularly artists) Butler was wary of the artworld and sniffed at the idea of being a “professional artist.”