Jade Butler is an Irish artist and graduate of West Wales School of the Arts whose practice employs portraiture to examine personal identity within contemporary society. Her contemporary style is deeply rooted in traditional skills, drawing on the language of historical icon painting to translate sitters into paint so they become both representations and symbolic entities. Through this approach, Jade reflects on how clothing, accessories and stylistic choices act as visual markers of self presentation, revealing the layers of performance that shape how we communicate who we are.

Jade exhibited in the RHA 195th Annual Exhibition in 2025, having also exhibited in previous years. Jade has also exhibited in the annual exhibitions of the Royal Ulster Academy, the Royal Scottish Academy, and the Royal Society of Women Artists. Her work is held in several public collections, including The Office of Public Works.

In 2025, Jade was awarded a place on the MFA Residency Programme representing the RHA in collaboration with the University of Notre Dame at Kylemore Abbey. She is a member of the Artist Panel at the Butler Gallery and has completed residencies at Cill Rialaig and Tyrone Guthrie.

Her paintings begin with digital photographs as reference, contrasting the immediacy of fast capture with the slow, tactile process of oil painting. This dialogue between permanence and ephemerality underpins her interest in how technology and online spaces influence perceptions of self and others, reshaping the evolution of portraiture. Jade’s work examines the tension between authenticity and artifice, inviting viewers to consider the subtle negotiations of identity in an era dominated by visibility and self curation.

Alongside her full-time arts practice, Jade is an arts facilitator with extensive experience leading adult art workshops, including at her studio at An Chéad Tine Studios, the Butler Gallery, The Schoolhouse for Art, and more.