Hunter of the East

Technique & Style

Abstract, Painting

Figures

Indistinguishable

Symbols

banner, boat, curtain, house, pendant, tree

Notes

Pre-art major, BYU. Artist statement: "My painting is inspired by 1 Nephi: 21, a chapter that I have always held close to my heart as I have grown up. I remember the first time I read this chapter. I was just getting used to reading the scriptures again, and verse 13 struck a chord in my heart that I will always remember. Nonetheless, the entire chapter did resonate with my painting, "Hunter of the East." In this painting, I depict a journey, and although I was heavily inspired by the Book of Mormon, I found that while creating the painting, I was also impressed with the spirit of the importance of family history. That is why I depicted a woman as well; I wanted her to symbolize my ancestors as a whole. On her chest, I embroidered an eye pendant I painted; this is to symbolize the watchful eye of the Lord and our ancestors. Throughout the entirety of first Nephi, there are beautiful verses where the text is describing a journey, for example, "Go forth; to them that sit in darkness: Show yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places,""And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted,""O house of Israel. Listen, O isles, unto me, and hearken ye people from afar." Therefore, I wanted to depict that same journey through the movement of her dress and the unveiling of the curtains. Behind the curtains, there is a path that leads to the tree of life at the very top of the painting. The path is supposed to look treacherous, but it is also marked with beautiful flowers. This is to represent the journey of mortality. Like a scripture in 1 Nephi 21: 13, "Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; for the feet of those who are in the east shall be established; and break forth into singing, O mountains; for they shall be smitten no more; for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted." As verse thirteen says, "the feet of those in the east shall be established." I included a quote from a book that has been in my genealogy and family stories for generations, and that is the quote from The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam on the banner. This quote is powerful because it tells the story of the sun traveling from east to west across the sky, which reminds me of the light of the knowledge of Christ moving across the earth. This is important to me because it's the most important thing that has ever been important! Christ is the only direction we need to follow, hence why my painting has only one path to go. The Lord shall be my strength, through genealogy and reading the scriptures as I pass mountains, highways, and the roughest seas. I am including this in "Book of Mormon art that demonstrates unique stylistic and technical approaches" because I wanted to display the message of 1 Nephi: 21 in a unique way. I wanted to display it through symbolism because sometimes we have to truly decipher and study the words of the scriptures to understand how to follow Christ, but once we do understand through the spirit, the message is there and the path is clear. "

Exhibition History:

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