Enos Finds Rest

Technique & Style

Abstract, Painting

Figures

Enos

Notes

Music Dance Theatre major, BYU. Artist statement: "Recently as I was getting ready for bed, a thought came to mind. “Open your scriptures.” I was right next to my phone so I opened the Gospel Library app and Enos 1 happened to be the last chapter pulled up on my phone. I decided to listen to it because I wasn’t comprehensive enough to sit down and read it. The calming narrator’s voice in my ear soothed my mind during the chapter until the end. It stated, “And I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest.” (verse 27) I got chills all over my body as I heard the exact words I needed at that moment. I often lean on this scripture in difficult times as a sort of refuge. Upon rereading and analyzing the text, Enos did not intend for rest to be understood in the way I did. At least not entirely. It is at the end of his life and he has decided to record one chapter to update the state of the world right before he passes away. He talks of his relentless prayer for repentance, his desire to convert his fellow men, and visions of destruction. Despite him not being able to convert all those he hoped to before his demise, his “soul did rest” (verse 17) because of the great efforts he had made. This painting shows Enos as he goes to “the places of [his] rest.“ Enos’s cool-toned face express the impression the words have on me. The red background drastically contrasts the calm with chaos, representing the contentions of Enos’s time and our own. The gold lining provides a protective barrier for Enos and the calamities around him, shining brightly and representing our redeemer. The flakes throughout speak to the people who have yet to accept Christ and his comfort, but still have “a place prepared for [them] in the mansions of [our] father.“ "

Exhibition History:

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