Though he now resides in Melbourne, Australia, the Cape Town–born Richard Butler-Bowdon has called such places as Sudan, Thailand, and the Netherlands home. This nomadic lifestyle has directly influenced his portraiture. The artist’s subjects are often inspired by people he meets, though he tends to take liberties in fictionalizing his sitters and the narratives around them. His emotionally poignant handling of paint and decisions around color could be said to recall Francis Bacon or the blue and rose periods of Pablo Picasso. Through this singular, technical approach and his choice of subjects, Butler-Bowdon smartly breaks down hierarchies often associated with portraiture. His work has been exhibited in countries across the world including France, the United Kingdom, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Cambodia.