Our Souls Yearn for Refuge

Technique & Style

Abstract, Painting

Figures

Jesus Christ, Mormon

Symbols

bench, halo

Notes

Artist statement: "My artwork is a scene depicting Mormon and Moroni together looking forward with hope to a more Christ illuminated future. Mormon has already experienced the horrors of war; hence, there is blood coming from his hand and feet. But he has separated that from his relationship with Moroni, choosing to teach him of the prophets of old. One of the biggest driving factors for me was realizing how many beautiful and heart wrenching examples of parent-child relationships there are in the Book of Mormon, and how hard it must have been for Mormon to understand that he was at the end of the story with his own little boy. How painful to see his baby sent off to war, not knowing if either would return safely, but certainly knowing that in the end they would not be able to save their people in the way that so many fathers and sons had before them. The talk "Jesus Christ at the Center of Our Lives" by Jose L. Alonso (April 2024) changed my life and my interpretation of my own work, and I would recommend reading it to anyone who is looking for further comfort or refuge, as I know I am."

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