Carthage, Mo. — Sam Butcher, the artist who created the Valuable Moments collectible figurines depicting angelic teardrop-eyed youngsters, has died. He was once 85.
The corporate stated in a Fb publish that he died early Monday surrounded by way of circle of relatives. It stated his lifestyles’s project was once “to percentage God’s reward of affection with the arena.” No information about his reason behind loss of life have been equipped.
One of the vital Christian-themed collectible figurines function Bible verses or youngsters praying. Lovers have collections numbering within the loads, whilst critics deride them as kitsch.
Butcher’s formative years love of illustrating were given a much broader target market when he started telling Bible tales on a youngsters’s ministry tv display whilst he drew. That have ended in him cofounding a industry in 1974 named Jonathan & David after the biblical figures, in line with his on-line obituary.
Early choices integrated greeting playing cards. And inside of a couple of years, the ones drawings have been reworked into porcelain collectible figurines.
1000’s of designs were produced over the many years, and fanatics of his paintings flock every yr to the Valuable Moments Inspiration Park and Valuable Moments Chapel in Carthage, Missouri.
The cornerstone of the pastel-painted, non-denominational oasis is the chapel, which Butcher was once impressed to construct by way of a 1983 go back and forth to the Sistine Chapel in Rome. It contains 84 Biblical work of art that quilt greater than 5,000 sq. toes.
“He was once such an especially proficient artist, however he by no means took the credit score for his skill,” stated Joette Blades, the director of the chapel and a pal. “He all the time stated that it was once a present from God, and he gave God all of the glory for all of the abilities that he had.”
