Abish’s Tears

Technique & Style

Figurative, Painting

Figures

Abish, Lamanite queen

Symbols

ancient symbol, hand, weapon

Notes

Artist statement: "I recently re-read Alma 19. I saw Abish, the Lamanite queen’s unassuming maidservant, with new eyes. I felt deeply inspired by her compassion towards the queen, and wrote this poem from her perspective. It is what I imagine her silent, panicked prayer may have included: Oh My Father, be with me now! Send me thy great spirit, I’ll do the only thing I know how. Arms clenched and eyes spilling with tears, Fierce angry confusion, head filled with fears, I grab my queens hand. She slowly lifts her head from the sand. I’ve been thinking about the roles women play, and consequentially the roles I will grow into. I don’t worry that the scriptures aren’t filled with female-role-model examples. I believe our Savior Jesus Christ is example enough. But I am deeply grateful for the particularly compassionate examples of women in the scriptures. Abish is one of these rare examples. I wanted to show a moment of cut-throat contention, and contrast it with the deep, Christ-like love and faith Abish portrayed. If I were in her shoes, I would have felt responsible for the contention that ensued after she brought everyone to see the king and queen, fallen from their overwhelming visions of Christ. I would have prayed God would give me some kind of inspiration how to end the contention. Abish looked beyond social boundaries, and saw the queen as her friend, and fellow daughter of God. I hope to minister to other people in a similar way. I painted this with oil as a nod to Minerva Teichart’s inspiring Book of Mormon oil illustrations, and her pioneering efforts in depicting these sacred records visually. The clothing and architecture in the background are design choices and are imaginary, but I did want to be authentic in what the Lamanite palace and clothing may have looked like. Process Used: I painted this on an 18x24 birch plywood panel with oil. I spent a lot of time beforehand and throughout the process studying the account in Alma 19, researching designs and Aztec characters to include in the background, taking references of sisters in my ward as models, asking for help from a fellow BYU illustrator as a model for the women’s faces, doing studies of renaissance paintings for the men in the background, and researching Native American symbols for the floor. Every element was thought out carefully, and is symbolic to my interpretation of the story."

Commissioned Status

Submitted to the 2024 BYU Book of Mormon Art Contest.

Church Affiliation of the Artist

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints