Riona Buthello

Riona Buthello is a Manchester-based painter whose work explores memory, emotion, and shared experience. Painting has always been part of her life, an intuitive way she connects with herself and the world.

Her practice is defined by a dreamy, nostalgic aesthetic, often described as painting collective memories with a pointillist touch. Soft, rain-blurred scenes, hazy light, and quiet atmospheres sit at the heart of her work, echoing moments that feel familiar yet just out of reach. Manchester’s grey skies and reflective streets play a central role in shaping its visual language. Feels like distant memories you are trying to focus on by squeezing your eyes.

Working from her home studio, Buthello starts each painting with bold, expressive strokes, valuing energy and feeling over perfection. This instinctive method gives her work its movement and emotional depth.