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 Butch Young graduated from the University of New Mexico with major degrees in English, and Anatomy and Physiology, and minors in Art and French. In 1987, she embarked upon her glass education, learning the rudiments of stained glass, and quickly mastering the techniques of glass-etching and multi-stage deep carving. Early in 1988, she was commissioned to create a dragon design on mirror as a gift to the Dalai Lama of Tibet. Butch advanced at such a rapid pace that later that year she moved to San Francisco to further her art, and began working for Crystal Editions, a fine arts glass studio. At Crystal Editions, copyrights were obtained from renowned artists, who then worked closely with the carvers to produce limited edition, signed reproductions of their work in crystal. Butch’s first projects were translating the works of Andrea Smith, known as the “Universal Peace and Harmony” artist, who is best known for her many works on display in various public buildings in Moscow. Butch’s work with Andrea has been featured in galleries in San Francisco, Hawaii, Los Angeles, and sold throughout the world. During her career at Crystal Editions, Butch rendered the works of Nagel, Tsing, John Lennon, Robert Hoppe, Eileen Borgeson, and many others, and worked on prototypes for works of Robert Lynn Nelson and Peter Max. Butch was one of five people in the world authorized to translate the legendary works of Erte, the father of Art Deco, onto crystal. In 1989, she was commissioned to execute a five piece glass montage, each panel measuring 5’X 7’, portraying various aspects of Irish-American culture and heritage, interwoven with the history of the Irish migration to New York’s Ellis Island. It can be seen on permanent display at the Irish Cultural Center in San Francisco. In 1990, Butch struck out on her own, starting her own business, Crystal Visions. Along with her design partner, Eileen Borgeson, Butch executed the original Laurel Burch “Spirit of Courage” award, a huge work, 88 inches in diameter, in beveled crystal, one inch thick. Burch’s original image is carved, gold-leafed, and painted, and the lighted piece is displayed in a different site every year. For many years she produced smaller versions of the “Spirit of Courage”, which were placed in lighted bases and awarded to physically challenged persons of exceptional valor, during a nationally televised ceremony. One of her most ambitious projects is an original design by Eileen Borgeson of an underwater fantasia serving as the focal point of the main lobby bar in Bally’s Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada. It is a nine-panel, 3-dimensional piece, three panels wide by three panels deep. They are carved, painted, gold-leafed, and lit by fiber optic lighting. It is shown with hollow acrylic “bubbling water” walls, columns, and compatible sculpture. Butch has executed several large public pieces for the Museum of Natural History in Albuquerque. In 1997, Butch and her design partner designed and executed a six-panel display in a sports bar at the Albuquerque International Sunport. The panels were water-jet cut into shapes, mounted into rock slabs from Africa, and depicted popular sports enjoyed in New Mexico. In 1999, Butch was commissioned to create ten panels depicting various struggles between Good & Evil for the Hellfire Room of Billy’s Long Bar, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Butch and Eileen produce various cartoon images of the late Chuck Jones onto glass; the most popular being the Grinch. To date 70 of the 95 limited edition carvings have been executed and sold. Christmas of 2002, they began the production of one of a kind Grinch pieces for collectors. Other images include Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam, Tweety & Sylvester, and Michigan J. Frog. Marvin the Martian is next on the drawing board. These are on display and available for purchase at Chuck Jones’ three art showrooms throughout the country, as well as in selected galleries. She has also translated the works of R.C. Gorman, the late Navajo artist, onto glass. Recently, New York's Corning Museum of Glass ordered three of each of her instructional videos. In June of 2003, Butch was the featured artist of the month at The Naked Wall, a popular Santa Barbara Gallery. Her work was featured there for the entire month. Most of the 35 pieces on display were carved on German lens optical crystal, a few on imported black glass. Numerous colorings and lighting techniques were incorporated into the works; including powders, gold, silver, various types of paint, oil composites, LED lighting, colored neon and incandescant bulbs. The subject matter ranged from fantasy art to high-end reproductions to the whimsical. Opening night was incredible, complete with Flamenco guitarist, mountains of fresh shrimp and other delicacies. Many a wine glass was tossed into the fireplace and a good time was had by all. In addition to her busy work schedule, Butch has taught many group and individual seminars, specializing in advanced carving, gold-leafing, and various color applications. In 2009 she will begin a regular and diverse schedule of classes at Rayzist PhotoMask, Inc, in Vista, California (a short hop from San Diego). She writes for many art and trade magazines, and has regular columns that appear in GlassArt magazine. She has created an on-going video instruction series, and taught courses on-line. In the year 2001, she and co-author, Rita Long, published the manual True Grit: Unraveling the Mystery of Sandblasting. It is a comprehensive beginner’s manual, covering all aspects of sandblasting, including equipment, materials, techniques, troubleshooting, and start-up strategies, and is now available. Butch, Judy and their worthless canines, Beandip, Cootie, Ratso Rizzo, and Phil A. Gumbeaux (their post-Katrina rescue dog) live in Atascadero, California, and work out of their home studio, "The Sandwitch Shop". It is a fabulous workspace, comprised of a blasting room with two cabinets and an acrylic ceiling for enhanced lighting. The student work area is large with superb lighting, comfortable workbenches and ample materials and tools. A coffin kiln provides generous space for slumping and fusing. A fridge, always stocked with drinks and snacks, a microwave and coffeemaker round out the necessities of blasting. The second floor office space features a plotter and stencil cutter that accommodates resist up to 36 inches in width. Next summer classes will be taught featuring computer-generated patterns and stencils including innovative custom interpretations. Stencils will include both photo-resist and plotter-cut vinyl. These stencil classes will be taught at Rayzist. Check calendar around September 15, for schedules and class descriptions.
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