By Paul Varnell

Contributing writer

For most of us, stained glass is associated with pietistic church windows or the nostalgia of Tiffany lamps. But stained glass artist Brian Butterfield pushes stained glass in new directions.

He creates decidedly non-religious pictures or designs, fuzes different pieces of glass together for a layered effect, even attaches objects to the glass so the creations are not only 3-dimensional but have a tactile component.

Butterfield says his aim is to try new things, asking himself, “What can I do to get away from the traditional cookie-cutter stained glass?”

Butterfield did not start working with stained glass until just six years ago, although it represents a long-delayed return to a youthful enjoyment of art. Born in Geneso, Ill., in 1959, he confesses that he was an indifferent student in school.

“Art was the only subject I ever got As and Bs in.” he recalls.

One drawing even won a high school prize.

After high school he spent six years in the Air Force, serving part of the time in South Korea, then earned a bachelor’s degree in special ed at Illinois State University and master’s degrees in reading and educational administration. He currently teaches special ed at Lakeview High School where as an openly gay teacher he helps the student Gay/Straight Alliance.

Although he has taken workshops on working with stained glass, he describes himself as “self-taught” since he has no formal art background. His earliest pieces do contain allusions to the traditional—one piece with conspicuous dark “leading” between the pieces of glass has segments that resemble gothic arches.

But his own creativity took over and he quickly moved on to more original designs—unusual figurative pieces, mosaic patterns, even wholly abstract designs, one of which he describes as Aztec modern.

“I want to create one-of-a-kind pieces,” he says.

Eventually the idea of placing small objects on top of a stained glass background occurred to him. He began attaching small necklace chains, costume jewelry, pieces of old china or glassware. The idea, he says, is to find a new use for things that still have sentimental or decorative value but are no longer in their primary use. Butterfield says he has done commissioned work where the patron provided some of the materials—one woman wanted a work that included bits of her grandmother’s dinnerware.

The attached objects are interesting to look at but their 3-dimensionality appeals to people’s sense of touch as well.

“People are tactile,” Butterfield points out. “They enjoy touching things to see what they feel like.”

While most of Butterfield’s creations are primarily decorative combinations of colors, a few of are portraits of people. A piece that was included in the exhibition sponsored by the Gay and Lesbian Artists Network depicts the now-retired erotic film actress Lisa De Leeuw, who Butterfield says he knew in high school under her original name. Another titled “God Save the Queen” was suggested by a beauty shop poster that caught his eye. It shows a woman with blue skin and flaming red hair and a brown and yellow crown stretching across the top of the picture resembling a castle rampart.

Some of the pieces even have gay themes. One piece is a stained glass version of the leather community’s flag, with its blue and black stripes and a red heart in the upper left. Another piece titled “One Out of Ten” shows nine small fish swimming right to left against a background of green and yellow undersea plants, while one little fish swims the other direction. The bright colors have an appeal of their own, but the unobtrusive symbolism adds value for those who notice it.

Stained glass and craft objects by Brian Butterfield is displayed at Northalsted Market Days, Aug. 11-12, on Halsted between Belmont and Addison. His website, currently under construction, is: www.butterfield.aftosawebhosting.com.