Josh Butler grew up in the Grand Valley area of Colorado before moving about the country with his father. After dedicating his youth to learning how to draw and then trying to forget it, he returned to the Grand Valley after receiving both a Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts from Colorado State University.
Butler believes he may have succumbed to the "Curse of the Utes" in returning to the Grand Valley area, or perhaps that he won some sort of karmic lottery to be able to do what he loves, making and teaching art, in one of the most beautiful places in the country. Butler has deep familial roots in the American West and honors the adventurous spirit that runs in his blood. His grandfather, Wendell Earl, claimed that such nefarious characters as Bill Cody, the Jesse James clan and various other lesser known bootleggers and swindlers are all a part of the family tree. The truth may be irrelevant as it is the spirit of the Maverick that is important for an artist.