A Summer Project

I don't post about every art project that I work on, but this one was significant enough that I thought I should document it here.

On May 27th of 2014 my sister gave birth to her son Henry Steven at 34 weeks. He passed away on that same day. In memory of this beautiful child I decided to paint a familiar mountain scene that would act as a reminder of how the scenery looked in my sister's city of Provo. I chose to depict Squaw Peak due to it's proximity to the Provo Temple and it's familiarity. I asked several friends and family living in Provo at the time of Henry's birth to photograph the mountains, sky and clouds to help me capture the conditions of Provo in springtime. The frame is oriented vertically so as to draw the eye heavenward.

This project was an important challenge for me since I am not a landscape artist and am not well practiced in acrylic painting, but was a necessary expression of sympathy for a loss that touched many people close to me. I was happy to give this as a gift to my sister and hope it will be a gateway toward healing for those who view it.