I have been able to paint most of the pioneer messages for the choir broadcast over the last nine years.  This year, the story was about the Willie handcart company.  They endured terrible hardships as they traveled across the plains to the Salt Lake Valley.

According to the story from Betsey Smith Goodwin's journal, “I will not dwell upon the hardships we endured, nor the hunger and cold, but I like to tell of the goodness of God unto us.” She recounts one day that especially stood out in her memory. The wind blew fiercely. The dark clouds were ominous and threatening. The approaching storm was so violent, the thunder and lightning so frightening, that even the ox teams refused to take another step. The group’s captain stood in the middle of the road, took off his hat, and bowed his head. Soon other members of the company joined him in bowing their heads and removing their hats, until 100 carts had gathered around the captain, who said, “Let us pray.” Betsey remembers that as he poured his heart out in prayer, heaven felt close. The clouds then parted, and the company pressed forward with faith until they reached camp and pitched their tents—just before the storm clouds finally burst open with torrents of rain.



I had to finish this painting early in order to go on a family vacation, and the scope of the painting was pretty daunting--100 handcarts and all their families!?  With my husband's help, I decided on this rocky landscape, and to zoom in to about 30 people.  I happened to learn that a friend of ours had a handcart, which we borrowed and set up in several different positions, and had my sister's family and a neighbor family who were heading off to trek soon as models.  Thank you, Ericksons and Gillmans!  The finishing of this painting was a blessing and result of a lot of prayer.

I got to do another Mother's Day painting in 2016.  Even though it was early May, and quite warm, my models were kind enough to dress in heavy coats, gloves and scarves, and make it look like winter, while posing on the street corner.  Thanks David and RaeMi!  David also had to show up to model right after being in a car accident!  I have the sweetest models ever!

George Frideric Handel had a hard life.  He was down on himself and wanting to give up when his friend, Charles Jennens, gave him a text he had prepared from Isaiah verses in the Bible about the Messiah.  Handel set it to music and made one of the best, well-known musical pieces ever.



My brother-in-law Ryan and his son Cole were so kind to get all dressed up fancy and model for me on this job, and it was fun to learn that Cole's sister Natalie had just written a research paper on Handel, so she taught me a lot about this story as well.

I was asked with just 24 turnaround time to sketch John Akhwari in the 1968 olympics.  He was pushed and fell while running the marathon, injuring his shoulder and dislocating his knee, and had to use part of his shirt to bandage up his knee.  He finished the race slowly, limping, and well over an hour after the winner.  Most of the spectators had left.  However, those who remained stood and applauded his finish in the dark.

When asked why he didn't just quit, he said, "My country did not send me 10,000 miles just to start the race.  They sent me to finish the race."



I love the research these paintings require me to do.  For this one, I had to watch old recordings of Akhwari and the news report. His story is so amazing and inspiring.  It helps me to try harder to go on in tough situations.

I'm sure you've heard the fable about the grasshopper and the ant.  The ant is industrious all summer, storing up food for the winter, while the grasshopper spends his time playing, relaxing, and playing music.  However, when the winter comes, the grasshopper is cold and starving, and asks for the mercy of the ant colony to feed and shelter him.

I absolutely loved painting this.  It was great fun to use bright colors and forced perspective, as well as having the opportunity to use my cartoon-style pen and watercolor.  I even broke out the Dr. Martin dyes to boost the colors.  I have this hanging on my bedroom wall right now.

I painted this based on a story about the announcer, Lloyd Newell, from the 1970s.  I took the opportunity to paint my own family.  I was born in 1977, so this would have been about 1978.  I am the baby sitting in my mom's lap.  All the furnishings, wall coverings, and decorations are based on my home at that time, and I found pictures of each of my siblings and parents from then as well, then fit them together into this picture.  My dad painted the two-paneled picture and made the pot.  Apparently the father from the story had a bunch of scriptures and quotes written on a big piece of cardboard, and they would read them together for family nights.  While that is not what we did, we had regular family home evening, and I'm sure there was a time when my dad would bring out a poster or a drawing, since he was an art teacher.

Unfortunately, this painting never aired--we never learned why.

For the 2015 Pioneer Day message, I had the privilege of painting this illustration.  Margaret Judd, who was 17 when she trekked across the plains as a pioneer in the 1800s, said, "Our journey was like all such journeys--it had its pleasant side, and its unpleasant side. When the sun was shining and the roads were good, we trotted along feeling that we would soon be at our destination, but when the rain poured down and the roads were so bad that we could not travel--then that was the other side."  However, they found ways to lift their spirits.  Catherine Adams, who turned 12 during her pioneer trek, described it this way: "It was terribly tiring and tedious in the hot and rainy weather. . . We had many good times, though.  In the evenings after the horses were tethered the men would light a big bonfire, clear off a level piece of ground, dampen it down to pack it a bit, and have a dance.  There were some fine musicians along who played the fiddle, [harmonica], and accordion, and we used to e enjoy sitting around the fire listening to them or having a sing-song."



I used several pictures of modern-day teenagers on trek for this one.  It was a trick to get the lighting right, with several pictures with different lighting to start, but I think it turned out OK in the end.  I really wanted a dramatic bonfire, and some nice glowing contrast to the pioneers.  I enjoyed painting the flickering lights along the water-soaked ground.

This happened to be a Mother's Day painting I did for the tabernacle choir broadcast.  Right after World War I ended, a soldier who made it through the entire war without injury, but died of pneumonia.  The American Red Cross nurse at the hospital sent a letter to the soldier's mother, wanting to share more about her son than just a cold record of his death.

I have illustrated several books for individuals that chose not to publish their books the traditional way, through a publisher.  They have instead made small runs of these books, or are publishing them on their own.  If you are interested in obtaining a copy of any of these books, please leave a comment and I will put you in touch with their authors.

Grandma Jackie
James Dalley
The Important Thing About Mothers
Look Up
Grandma Irma
Richard Ballantyne
My Father Taught Me to Sail