Butts, who lived in Ben Lomond, was a little thing. Standing only about five feet tall and weighing around 90 pounds, she could easily be underestimated--but members of the Aegis Gallery in the Saratoga Village, which Butts helped found 11 years ago, would say time and again, don't let that tiny frame fool you--Jackie is a "dynamo."

Members of the gallery remember Butts as a woman who was constantly defying expectations. Many say they were shocked that Butts would let slip in a casual conversation her background as a biochemist. They all could see what a talented artist she was--creating and selling many beautiful and elaborate works of clay and ceramic art, traveling the world to attend art classes and even teaching art courses--but there were always new facets of her personality and intelligence that revealed themselves.

Friends and family are reminiscing these days as they prepare a special exhibit and sale of many of Butts' works of art, to open at the Aegis Gallery on May 31. This show is one way those touched by Butts are honoring her, since she died on Jan. 17 of heart failure at the age of 80.

Nancy Patka of Campbell, a watercolor and oil artist who serves on the hanging committee at Aegis and does much of the gallery's publicity, says she was always impressed by how much Butts gave to the gallery and to everyone around her.

"Jacqueline Butts was a woman known and loved by many people," she says. "She was more than an exceptional potter, she was a true friend to all."

Patka describes Butts' artistic specialty as Japanese-inspired vessels that are wheel-thrown or slab-built from porcelain or stoneware.

"Her pieces show special attention to detail and texture," she says. "Jackie was a prolific potter. The most incongruous thing about Jackie's pieces was that you would never imagine they were created by an 80-something, 90-pound dynamo of a woman."

Patka says Butts' work was incredibly popular with local art lovers.

"Her pots are literally in thousands of homes," she says.

Despite what many say Butts could have charged for her impressive creations, Patka says she always kept her prices low.

"When she was asked why, she said, 'I like to keep the gallery's inventory down. I like people to have my pieces,'" Patka recalls. Really, Patka says, she just knows how much Butts' art meant to her, and says she often credited it as her salvation when times got difficult. "She said, 'Working with [clay] has kept me sane and focused; I have felt deprived when I have had to be away from it for any length of time.'"

Patka says she will never forget how stunned she was one time when Butts told her she had sold more than $10,000 worth of pottery in a single display at the Palo Alto Glass and Clay Show one year--she doubts Butts ever charged more than $100 for any single piece.

Jeanne Tillman, a weaver and paper artist who lives in Los Gatos and has been a longtime member of the Aegis Gallery, says she was amazed by how much one person could do.

"In retrospect, I am amazed by her energy," she says. "I had no idea how old she was."

Mary Ann Henderson, a Saratoga pastel, oil and watercolor painter who also serves on hanging committee at Aegis, says it was Butts' unique touch that made all the difference in the gallery's displays. She says her unique, 3-D techniques would "bring a wall to life."

Even today, Tillman says, whenever she is arranging a display, she will ask herself, "What would Jackie do?"

Tillman says Butts was always supportive of all artists, even if she didn't particularly care for an artist's style. Patka also recalls how friendly and caring she was with everyone--when another gallery member lost his son to cancer, Patka says Butts was right there to help him through it, drawing from personal experiences when she had lost her own husband, Philip Butts, to cancer.

The three women remember Butts for her never-ending appetite for learning and teaching.

"As proficient as she was at her art form, she was still always taking classes," Tillman says. For some of the classes, she traveled as far as Japan.

Jacqueline Marie Butts grew up in Colorado during the Depression. Her father struggled to keep a small-town law practice going, but eventually left the family for two years to drive logging trucks in the Pacific Northwest to make a living. Butts and her younger brother, Gregory, grew vegetables and sold handicrafts in the neighborhood to help make ends meet.

During World War II, Butts faced a time of sorrow when her fiancé was killed after his ship was torpedoed.

Butts went on to get an education, earning bachelor's and master's degrees in biochemistry. However, she ran into unexpected discrimination when she tried to enter the job market--no one wanted to hire a woman in the biochemistry field. At one interview, she was told she was only called in because the hiring manager thought "Jackie" was a man's name. When she was finally hired as a chemist in the defense industry, she was told that she qualified for a supervisor position but she couldn't have it because the men would not work for a woman. However, she didn't give up--eventually she got that supervisor position and did well in her chosen field. It was at that company where she met her husband, Philip. Eventually, she left her job to raise a family. The couple had three children--Norman, Keith and Catherine.

Despite the hardships she faced in her earlier years, Butts' children say most of her life was spent in happy times. She had a loving, 48-year marriage. Her children all grew up well, and have lived close by for the last 15 years.

"She was able to visit her grandchildren on a regular basis and see them grow from babies into fine children, teenagers and young adults," her son Norman said in her eulogy.

Many who knew her say she will also be missed for her kindness and her giving spirit.

"She unselfishly gave of herself whenever she was asked or saw the need," Norman says. "She was always the peacemaker in our family. I can honestly say she was the kindest and most unselfish person I have ever known."

"She was a really nice person to be around," her son Keith says. "She really took care of us kids."

Members of the Aegis Gallery hope many people will come during the month of June to view the works of art that Jacqueline Butts left behind, and that those who knew her will come by to share their memories.

"Remembering Jacqueline Butts: A Retrospective Show and Sale" will open May 31 and close June 26 at the Aegis Gallery, 14531 Big Basin Way in Saratoga. A reception will be held on June 5 from 4 to 7 p.m. For more information, call 408.871.0803 or visit www.aegisgallery.com.