“Images: 1987 Fine Arts Competition,” Ensign, Feb. 1988, 34
Images:
1987 Fine Arts Competition
LDS artists from thirteen nations entered the Churchwide contest.
On 6 November 1987, the Museum of Church History and Art unveiled an exhibit of art from Latter-day Saint artists from thirteen countries and seventeen U.S. states. Juried from 1,031 entries, 180 works were selected on the basis of aesthetic accomplishment and successful treatment of themes from LDS life, such as scripture, history, and family. A gift from anonymous donors provided awards for the finalists. The selections will be on exhibit at the museum until 15 February 1988.
This issue features sixteen of the entries.
On the cover is an oil painting from one of the 180 finalists, Clark Kelley Price, titled “The Lord Fulfilleth All His Words,” depicting Noah welcoming the animals aboard the ark.
The first-prize winner, “Lehi’s Dream” by Steven L. Neal, is on the inside front cover.
The inside back cover features “Family in Blue” by Jeanne L. Clarke, another finalist.
Great Are the Promises unto the Isles of the Sea, by Laurie Schoebelen, Young Women secretary in the Alta Loma Second Ward, Upland California Stake. There are many different insights to be found in 1 Nephi 19:10–12, 16, [1 Ne. 19:10–12, 16] from which the title is taken. Sister Schnoebelen notes: “The little-known prophet Zenos mentioned the people of the isles of the sea in the Book of Mormon. When I look into the eyes of my Tongan friends, I see kings and queens, the fruitful seed of Israel.”
The Refreshment Committee, by Lorraine S. Bush. Sister Bush teaches Relief Society in the Rush Valley Ward, Tooele Utah South Stake. “Those who are willing to serve others are the backbone of the Church, willing to be there when they are needed. Most of our religious experience is this way, our feet on the ground doing what needs to be done.”
Peace, Be Still, by Mark Hopkins, a seminary teacher in the Acworth Ward, Marietta Georgia East Stake. “I enjoy attempting to find and capture movement in an inspiring moment in scripture, to arrest that moment so that it can be observed, even relived, if possible.”
Peeling Apples, by VaLoy Eaton, who serves as high priests group instructor in the Midway First Ward, Midway Utah Stake. “To me, nothing is on a higher plane as a subject for art than ordinary, everyday events of life. Seemingly insignificant moments in our day can be filled with light. In our tradition of husbandry and agrarian production, we respect the very act of work as a gift from God.”
Brigham Young’s Journey to Pipe Springs, by Robert B. Powell, a high councilor in the Sugar City Idaho Stake. “Today, Pipe Springs, which is a natural spring southeast of St. George, is a national monument. It is not a well-known Church history site, but has been restored—old fort and all. This scene depicts Brigham Young’s visit to check on the Church’s large cattle ranch there in the 1860s.”
The Hinckley Ward Teachers Visit the Widow Simms, By L. H. Bennett, Sunday School teacher in the Sandy Forty-second Ward, Sandy Utah East Stake. “Fond memories of a loving, rural boyhood prompted this rendering of my grandparents’ home in Hinckley, where life was good and the hours passed slowly. Though the setting is in southern Utah, it could be anywhere that such peace and natural harmony remain undisturbed.”
Joy Cometh in the Morning (Ps. 30:5), by Barbara Edwards of the Smithfield Seventh Ward, Smithfield Utah North Stake. “The psalmist consoles us: ‘Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.’ As a mother comforts and assures her child—whether in illness or about some mutual loss—the faintest light of morning at the window promises hope and solace that things will be better.”
Reading the Bible, by John Taye. In the Boise Twenty-fifth Ward, Boise Idaho East Stake, Brother Taye serves as Scouting coordinator. The woman reading the scriptures is carved in laminated basswood and sanded smooth. “Basswood was chosen for its light, even color, which allows the shadows to contribute. I laminated two-inch-thick boards to make a block, then used different-sized chisels and gouges with a mallet, and finally, knives to form the details of the figure.”
Sunflowers and Buffalo Chips, by Gary Kapp. Brother Kapp serves as executive secretary in the Provo Twenty-seventh Ward, Provo Utah North Stake. “On the trek west, as the wagons would stop for refreshment, women would gather buffalo chips for starting fires to wash and cook by. Beauty—as portrayed in the sunflowers, the flowing pioneer dresses, and the full bonnets—can be found in the mundane tasks of life if we but look for it.”
Paul and Silas Teaching in the House of Lydia, by David R. Ahrnsbrak, who teaches the Gospel Doctrine class in the Vernal Sixth Ward, Vernal Utah Ashley Stake: “Mentioned in Acts 16:14–15, Lydia is generally regarded as the first European convert to Christianity. This painting was inspired by a modern setting involving a namesake of the woman.”
Old Reynolds Mill, Ashley Valley, 1880 (courtesy of the Uinta County Library collection), by David R. Ahrnsbrak, Gospel Doctrine teacher in the Vernal Sixth Ward, Vernal Utah Ashley Stake. “In the rural society of the nineteenth century, mills were gathering places for news, mail, and business. This painting is an accurate historical reconstruction of a mill that had been built in Maeser, Utah, by W. G. Reynolds. It burned down in 1934.”
Looking at Sarah, by Lee U. Bennion. The artist teaches the Valiant B Primary class in the Spring City Second Ward, Mt. Pleasant Utah Stake. “Form, color, and feelings are foremost in my paintings,” she says. “My figures are often slightly distorted, never quite perfect, but I hope that they still reflect the warmth and goodness that exists within.”
Lord of the Harvest, by Gary E. Smith, who serves as teachers quorum adviser in the Alpine Fourth Ward, Alpine Utah Stake: “The harvest metaphor used in scripture relates to the daily life of all men, farmer or not. Simplicity of the figure, lacking facial detail, suggests that universality. Harvest colors have been overemphasized, as have other symbolic colors—especially the red at the wrists, combining the subject of harvest with technique to make a symbolic statement.”