Samuel "Sam" John Butcher (born January 1, 1939) is an American artist. He is mainly known as the artist behind the Precious Moments brand of characters based on American-Christian themes. He draws in oil, water-color, acrylic, and mixed-media.
Sam Butcher | |
|---|---|
| Born | Samuel John Butcher January 1, 1939 |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Sam |
| Known for | Precious Moments |
| Spouse | Kathie Yott Butcher |
| Children | Jon Butcher Phillip Butcher (deceased) Timothy Butcher (deceased) |
Early life
Butcher was born in Jackson, Michigan, on January 1, 1939. He was the third of five children born to an English-Irish father and a Lebanese and Syrian mother. Around the age of 10, the family moved to Big Bend, California.[1]
From birth, Sam was a creative child. Finding any paper he could use, sometimes from the local dump, he spent hours under the table writing stories and illustrating them. By the time Sam was in kindergarten, he knew he was going to be an artist[1]. Throughout his schooling, his teachers noticed his talent and encouraged him to pursue his dream.
When his family moved to Big Bend, California, Sam happily spent hours by himself drawing and painting. His independence shined through his childhood as he was determined to finish his education at Enterprise High School, 62 miles away in Redding, California. In high school, Sam played the accordian and the piano, was elected president of the sophomore class and vice-president of the student body, and participated on the yearbook staff and track team.[1] However, nothing took place of his art and he continued to draw, paint, and explore the world of fine art.
One of the most influential people in Sam's life was his art teacher, named Rex Moravec. Because of Mr. Moravec's instruction, Sam was awarded a scholarship to the College of Arts and Crafts in Berkeley, California, one of the finest private art schools in the country.[1] He later married his college sweetheart, Katie Cushman, and moved their family back to his home state of Michigan.
Sam and Katie frequented their church, which helped Sam land a job in the shipping department of Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) in Grand Rapids, Michigan. [2] From there, he was quickly promoted to the art department where he not only continued his passion for art, but also learned to study the Bible. It was at this job that he met Bill Biel, who would later help Sam start Precious Moments, Inc.
The Ministry
After a short move back to California, Sam and his family returned to Grand Rapids and to Sam's job at CEF. In 1971, Sam became the storyteller for the CEF national television program, The Tree House Club, where he would illustrate and tell stories of the Bible. [1]
As Sam and Bill Biel worked together, their friendship quickly grew. After watching a film together, they realized the need for visual aids in the Christian teaching field. They went out on their own as commercial artists, naming their company "Jonathan and David" after the Biblical friendship of David and Prince Jonathan.[1] They were successful freelancers doing work for Sunday schools and media companies when they were invited to attend the Christian Booksellers Convention in Anaheim, California, to be introduced. As Sam prepared greeting cards, Bill came up with the name Precious Moments, a name that stuck for years to come.[1]
Sam excitedly used this opportunity to spread the message of God's love, a part of his life he had a strong devotion for. Sam's lack of confidence in his artwork soon disappeared due to the success of the convention. The response was overwhelming and the duo had nearly $10,000 worth of orders for their buttons, greeting cards, and brochures. Sam and Bill struggled to afford space and materials to fulfill these orders, but with the help of prayer and generous people along the way, they secured a space.
Precious Moments
In 1974, Butcher created Precious Moments drawings for J&D, which were introduced to the market a year later. Before that, Butcher created many other works, from kitsch oil paintings to comic strips. These works can be observed at the Precious Moments Chapel in Carthage, Missouri.
Prior to 1978, Sam met Eugene Freedman at a Christian trade show in Los Angeles, California.[3]
The three major products carried by J&D were greeting cards, porcelain figurines, and vinyl dolls. J&D sourced its vinyl dolls in Asia, leading Butcher to the Philippines. In 1981 Butcher and Biel traveled to the Philippines, where they gave financial assistance to a Bible college.[1]
Some time thereafter, Butcher and Biel ended their business relationship. J&D suspended its greeting card business, passed its porcelain products to Enesco, and stopped producing vinyl dolls. The doll business would be relaunched as Precious Moments Country Dolls in 1989 and renamed Precious Moments Company Dolls in 1992.[4]
Butcher founded the Samuel J. Butcher Foundation and Precious Moments, Inc.[5] In 1989, he completed the construction of the Precious Moments Chapel. He privately funded the purchase of land on an island in Aklan and built a resort called Sampaguita Gardens. Through this resort, Butcher provides employment and training opportunities for people from Aklan and students from other provinces in Western Visayas.
Later, Butcher moved to St. Charles, Illinois and lived with his children.
As Precious Moments became more successful, Butcher began to spend more time at his resort in the Philippines. At the height of popularity, Butcher fell ill due to strokes brought on by self-medicating. His children brought him back to the States, where he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and treated. He then returned to the Philippines.[6]
Death of his sons
While Butcher was in the Philippines, his 27-year-old son Phillip was killed. Butcher started drinking alcohol heavily, and could not pursue his interests in art.[7]
Butcher dealt with his grief by returning to art. He worked on paintings in what is now called Phillip's Room at the Chapel. According to Chapel employees who watched Butcher, "it was as though he was possessed by depression and anger. Finally, his body and mind could take it no more. Sam broke down, and stopped."[citation needed]
Butcher's children urged their father to take better care of himself, and took over all business responsibilities at PMI. Butcher left for the Philippines for an extended period.
His son Tim Butcher died on October 14, 2012, having been the inspiration for many Precious Moments pieces.[8]
From 2012
As of 2012[update], Sam Butcher resided in the Philippines and his sons Jon and Don controlled PMI and most of his artistic assets.
Butcher makes appearances at the Precious Moments Chapel in Carthage during the summer for Precious Moments Family Reunion events.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Miessner, Dallie, and Walter Pfeiffer. The Precious Moments Story. Huntington, NY, Portfolio Press Corp., 1986.
- ^ "Samuel J. Butcher Story - Precious Moments". www.preciousmoments.com. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
- ^ "Tepee.com".
- ^ [1] Archived February 23, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Moments: the official publication of the Precious Moments Collectors' Club by PMI. October 2005.
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20060901172707/http://www.preciousmomentscommunity.com/. Archived from the original on September 1, 2006. Retrieved March 15, 2006.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "We Need Not Walk Alone". TCF Magazine Special Anniversary Edition. Loder, Wayne. 1999.http://www.tcfatlanta.org/Precious.html (retrieved March 14, 2006).
- ^ "Timothy Butcher". The Oregonian.
Further reading
- Butcher, Jon. Interview. Jun. 2004~Oct. 2004.
- Butcher, Sam & Butcher, Jon. Interview. Oct. 2004.
- Siytangco-Masigan, Sandee. "workbook: Precious Faith". August 31, 2004.
External links
- CIO Insight. Precious Little Time. http://www.cioinsight.com/article2/0,1540,1869514,00.asp (retrieved December 2005).
- http://www.herword.com/workbook/masigan08.31.04.html