All ye, buried in water- arise reborn

Technique & Style

Abstract, Painting

Figures

Alma (father of Alma), Nephites

Symbols

chalice, water

Animals

Bennu bird, butterfly

Notes

Undecided major, BYU. Artist statement: "My painting tells a story of rebirth. I began by choosing a story from the Book of Mormon that is very near to my heart; that of the convert baptisms that took place at the waters of Mormon. One thing I learned while serving my mission in Quito, Ecuador, is that baptism is the great unifier. The hope and promise inherent to the baptismal covenant is not exclusive to only one culture or people. Symbols of rebirth and renewal can be found patterned time and time again in the artwork of ancient civilizations. Even though Egyptian, Aztec, and Buddhist symbolism feature more prominently in my work, they are not by any means the only cultures to value such representations. The Bennu birds flanking both sides of baptismal font in my painting represent regeneration--specifically the regeneration of a new day, as they were believed to symbolize the soul of the sun god Ra. I love the idea that when we are baptized we end the nightmare of sin and enter into a clean, new day full of endless opportunity. The butterfly imagery descending from the top of the painting are ancient Aztec symbols of fire, as the Aztecs believed that the quivering of butterfly wings imitated the flickering of flames. In the painting they represent the gift of the holy ghost, as baptism by water is incomplete without baptism by fire. The baptismal font itself draws from both egyptian and buddhist influences. The pattern represented on the pillars of the font create a lotus-like flower. Both Egyptian and Buddhist cultures prized this flower as a symbol of rebirth because it closes up at night, sinks under the water, and then re-emerges with the coming of the sun. I chose to repeat this symbol twice, once patterned on the pillars of the font and once at the base of the waterfall, in an attempt to honor both the Egyptian and Buddhist cultures. "

Exhibition History:

• Submitted to the 2023 BYU Book of Mormon Art Contest.