About

About Bronna A. Butler

Bronna’s early interest in both the arts and science/math resulted in two rotating careers, one in art and another in finance/science. Her current artwork - multifaceted glass, mirror, and metal sculptures focusing on recreational mathematics, portraits of mathematicians and physicists, and science in general - unites her two passions. She strives to include puzzles, enigmas, and optical illusions in her pieces. Stylistically, her glass and oil painting techniques are derived from the Baroque and Renaissance periods when artists were involved in the “science” of the arts (the chemistry of their paints/materials, precise anatomy, and perspective, etc.) and the content and purpose of art frequently included science and mathematics.

Bronna likes to collaborate with individuals from many different disciplines, especially, not surprisingly, mathematicians. “Additive Mixing” was a 2020 collaboration with mathematician Jessica K. Sklar. It illuminates the intersections of mathematics and art.

Painting Techniques from the Baroque Period:

Stained Glass:

Bronna paints with vitreous paints, along with yellow and orange nitrated silver stains, on a clear or colored handmade, mouth-blown (then flattened) glass. The glass is fired in a kiln to permanently adhere to the paint/stain to the glass.

Oil painting on wooden panels and linen canvas:

Bronna paints using 14th – 19th-century style oil painting techniques. A monochromatic base painting (grisaille) is painted first and thin layers of oil color are glazed on top to create intense colors, the appearance of depth, and a shimmering effect.

Education:

Bachelor of Arts degree in Art, University of Missouri
Graduate artwork, one year, at Idaho State University
Master of Science degree in Accountancy, University of Missouri

Additional study:

New York Academy of Art, NYC, Flemish painting & other techniques

Studied with professional artist S. Allyn Schaeffer (who studied with Brackman, who studied with Henri, who studied with Eakins and Bouguereau, and so forth back through time).

Studied numerous 12th – 18^th-century treatises on painting.

Activities

Our activity, designed with my QED Arts LLC collaborator mathematician Jessica K. Sklar, for the Bridges 2022 Family Day Activities at the National Museum of Finland was great fun. All ages of participants solved the magic square puzzle and made Alberti cipher disks from our art piece “Dürer’s Cat”.

The Family Day Activities at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington D.C. presented on June 12, 2022 by the National Academy of Sciences, the Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center and members of the Mathemalchemy team were outstanding. It was fun helping kids and parents assemble my dodecahedron net.

The trajectory on the net illustrates a recent discovery by three mathematicians, Jayadev Athreya, David Aulicino and Patrick Hooper.

Exhibitions:

Bridges Interdisciplinary Conference on Art and Mathematics, juried Visual Art Exhibition, Aalto University, Helsinki and Espoo, Finland August 2022.

National Academy of Sciences, Washington DC, January - June 19, 2022 and Juniata College, Huntingdon, PA June 23 - December 3, 2022 Bronna’s glass dodecahedron lighthouse beacon, three mathematical pages and an oil-on-panel OctoPi mural were part of the Mathemalchemy Art Installation.

Joint Mathematics Meetings, Juried Mathematical Arts Exhibition, virtual, January 2022

AMS and MAA Joint Mathematics Meetings, Juried Mathematical Arts Exhibition, virtual, January 2021.

AMS and MAA Joint Mathematics Meetings, Juried Mathematical Arts Exhibition, Denver, CO, January 2020.

National Museum of Mathematics MOVES Conference, "Persistence/Teamwork" accepted by review, presented to participants, New York, NY, August 4 - 6, 2019.

Bridges Interdisciplinary Conference on Art and Mathematics, Juried Visual Art Exhibition, Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria, July 2019.

AMS and MAA Joint Mathematics Meetings, Juried Mathematical Arts Exhibition, Baltimore, MD, January 2019.

Bridges Interdisciplinary Conference on Art and Mathematics, Juried Visual Art Exhibition, National Museum of Science and Technology, Stockholm, Sweden, July 2018.

AMS and MAA Joint Mathematics Meetings, Juried Mathematical Arts Exhibition, San Diego, CA, January 2018.

Opening for KO ART/NYC, at BRAVOMEDIA, NY, NY, March 2014 and “Embrace – Portraits by Bronna” KO ART/NYC, 555 W. 23rd St., May 2014.

Salmagundi Art Club Members Exhibitions, New York, NY and various New Jersey Arts organizations exhibitions, 1998 -2005.

Commissions:

St. Lawrence O’Toole Church in Brewster, N.Y. – Adapted/redesigned compositions and painted them on two, 24 X 64 in. stained glass windows, 2015.

Stained glass window commissions for private residences, 2013 – 2014.

Maryrest Mausoleum Chapel, Mahwah, N.J. – Designed and painted 840 sq. ft. of new stained glass windows, 2011 - 2012.

Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Newark - Designed a 20.4 ft. tall, 911 Memorial monument for Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington, N.J. Bronna also served as the project manager for the construction of the monument, along with its 60 X 42 ft. base, in stainless steel, titanium, granite, and stained glass, 2008 - 2011.

Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Hoboken, N.J. – Designed and painted Sts. Peter and Paul images in oil paint on a 12.5 X 8 ft., arched linen canvas with a dibond substrate, 2009.

Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Newark, N.J. - Designed and painted a 72 X 120 in. triptych in oil paint on linen, with a fiberglass substrate, for the crypt chapel, 2008.

Archdiocese of Newark – Designed and painted images for six Archdiocese Christmas cards, 2003 – 2008. Archdiocese Office of Divine Worship Newsletter, “Word on Worship” - drew portraits of four Popes and other illustrations, 2012 - 2013.

Portraiture and Illustrations:

Bronna has completed over 130 commissioned portraits of executives, actors, fashion designers, politicians, popes, nuns, adults, children, babies, horses, cats, dogs, houses, churches, and cars. Created imagery for cards, brochures, bulletins, mailers, prayer cards, calendars, and other printed materials.