This is my latest Salt Lake Temple Painting. This one is being sent down to the gallery in Scottsdale. It is 40 x 30 inches on canvas. I wanted to show the Temple reflecting in the pool of water but I did not like the straight on view (what makes a good photograph does not necessarily make a good painting). So as you can see I turned it slightly. Also I changed the proportions of the temple, and the lines, thus adding to the drama.

Temples on the Brain

I was recently approached by my Ward to do a couple of paintings to hang in the Young Women room. We settled on the Provo Temple because it is our district temple and the Salt Lake Temple because it is on all of the Young Women literature. I also felt that because the paintings were for the Young Women that they should also include all of the value colors.
As a result from doing these paintings I have had several requests for prints. Which will soon be available in the next day or two, both fine art paper and canvas. I have found a place online that will do prints on demand, framing and ship to anywhere in the world. Also as a result the gallery owner that represents my original paintings, Rive Gauche Gallery, www.rivegauchegalleries.com, now would like me to paint 5 Temple paintings for him. Which I am now working on. The 5 I have chosen to do are the first 5 temples, Kirtland, Nauvoo, St. George, Manti and Salt Lake. Yes another Salt Lake Temple (the 3rd one so far). I'm going to paint the paintings less architecturally accurate and more emotionally and spiritually charged. The first 2 I am currently working on are the Salt Lake Temple (the canvas is 30 inches by 40 inches) and will be titled "Mountain of the Lord" and the Nauvoo Temple (the canvas is 48 inches by 60 inches) and will be titled "The Phoenix".

I was really excited to get the first Ogre painted. My goal for the other two is to make them more ugly and scary looking. I really want to see how far I can push this with out going too far. Even with Ogres there is a careful balance. I want kids (and adults too) to see the Ogres as scary and ugly but not frightening. I don't want anyone having nightmares after viewing one of my paintings. Accept maybe the nightmare of having not purchased it in time before some else has. But alas the paint is getting bumped aside again for a bit while I work on 2 commission paintings. I'm going to be doing paintings of both the Salt Lake and Provo Temples. Quite a different subject then Ogres, should be fun though.

Here are a couple of portraits that I painted of my brother's kids. I painted portraits of my brother's kids as a Christmas gift to him and his wife. I also did a couple of commission paintings over Christmas too (I decided not to take picture of them so that the images wouldn't accidentally get out before the husband could give them for Christmas). So it has been a busy Christmas. But I'm finally back to working on the Ogre painting. I should have a new image out on it tomorrow.

Here is one of the reasons the little girl is looking put off about this whole bit about having tea with Ogres.

Here is a close up of the little girl. The flowers on the lower part of her dress are poppy flowers. Poppy flowers symbolically can represent imagination.

This is the first sketch for the painting. It is called a Thumb Nail Sketch. It is done small and quick to lay out my initial ideas for the painting. Getting it out of my head and down on paper.