Maxine Butcher may be the longest enrolled student in the College of DuPage’s history.

No, it’s not because she still hasn’t finished her associates degree. It’s not because she’s failed out of all her classes. It’s because of her love of brush and canvas. Since 1957 when COD opened with old white barns and muddy fields, Butcher has been exploring new art styles and forms in painting classes.

I met Butcher during the three years I worked at Monarch Landing retirement community in Naperville. There was something about her piercing blue eyes and her genuine half-smile always spread across her face. She always exhumed something more. She’s the resident with the warmest embrace, most energy and known to meet up with the men and beat them at pool after dinner. At 89 years-old, she is still a free, artistic spirit, and it’s apparent from the moment you talk to her.

Born and raised in Chicago, landing later in LaGrange, Butcher was always creative, and she never, ever liked to be tied down. Art classes were always something she was drawn to but when offered an opportunity to study at the Art Institute, 18-year-old Butcher chose to have fun and live without commitments binding her.

It wasn’t until she moved into her very first home with her husband, Tom, that painting re-entered her life at full force.

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“I had to paint, I couldn’t afford anything for the walls,” said Butcher. Today, her own white walls are covered in photos of family, souvenirs from her world travels and her art. Walking through her organized, white apartment, her dining room is opened to a large easel with current work in progress. A man in a boxing ring, exhausted from the fight is painted with purples and a town scene of opposite style lies below it. Large windows feed in bright sunlight directly onto her working space.

The inspiration for her works are near impossible to pinpoint. Each piece looks as if it was painted by a different artist. An abstract rendition of a natural view is painted in warm watercolors, yet a portrait of a mother breastfeeding a child is so lifelike. Watercolors can be seen most often in Butcher’s work, but she is no stranger to oils, acrylics, pastels and even sculpture.

Her excitement for life and learning passes onto her art, never wanting to stick with one style. She proclaims that she is bored easily, even going through hiatuses from painting. This is a main reason why Butcher consistently works in COD’s painting studio, forever learning and mastering her trade. The eclectic mix of ages and individuals that are involved at COD is another reason she continues to return.

Her subjects vary as much as her styles do. Strangers she has captured in classes, people or scenes she has seen in photos and even famous paintings she enjoys copying, such as “Girl with a Pearl Earring,” are all seen in her past works. She has no favorite subject or painting. She paints what she likes, what she finds is beautiful. Her free spirit rides into her artistic philosophy. But her most reoccurring subjects are her children and Tom, her late husband.

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Tom passed away 11 months after he and Maxine moved into Monarch Landing. “He was the love of my life,” said Butcher. “He showed me the world.”

Butcher ran into Tom when she was the only woman who had signed up for golf lessons, a true testament of her character. A friend had convinced Butcher to join her, being hesitant as she would be the only woman at the lessons. Her friend quickly dropped, but quitting out of fear was nothing Butcher knew.

Tom lived on the opposite side of town, yet he offered to drive Butcher to and from class. He was a side thought for Butcher, who was never focused on settling down. He helped her with golf. He offered to teach her pool. She never thought of him as more than a ride to and from places, but in time it transformed into 57 years of marriage and stories.

Flipping through her sketchbooks, she pauses at the simple pencil drawing she captured of Tom in a hospital bed during the last days of his life. Every wrinkle, every emotion, and the feeling of pain encapsulated by her hand.

When they were young adults with four children, Tom began these adventures with surprising the family with a six-person tent. It was all they could afford at the time. Butcher hated this first camping trip, filled with bugs and screaming children. Their travels transformed and as years went on, they traveled further and saved up for a camper. This is what they often traveled in to Butcher’s favorite place: Mexico.

For up to three months at a time, Maxine and Tom lived in Mexico as Maxine studied art and painted historical buildings and beautiful views. Her art often reflects her time there, almost like photographs from the places she has been.  

Piles of books and newspaper clippings are filled with endless works Butcher created over the years. It almost seems as if she never stops, yet she admits she must force herself to take breaks and often has times where inspiration is vacant. She never knows exactly what her next piece will be, but when she sees something she likes, she begins working again. She jokes about how she’s working on a million pieces at once, even pointing to a painting she began at one time and finished eight years later.

On Sept. 1, Butcher will turn 90. Her spunk and love for life is evident every day. She fills her life by doing: golfing, playing bridge, beating the men in pool and being with her six grandchildren. And she leaves something with every person she meets, her eyes and smile remembered effortlessly.

“Every piece of art in my house is from my grandma, and that’s how it’s been since I was a kid,” said Katie Garside, Butcher’s granddaughter and a former COD student. “She always used to sketch us as we were, and my mom has saved those. I always have positive memories that stay with me, which I don’t know if I would have without those visual representations.

“She has instilled a love for traveling in all of us; the stories she has told about her and my grandpa traveling all over the world are really special,” continued Garside. “I see her love for life with my cousin’s little kids. She loves those babies and lights up when they come into town. It’s really special.”