And he did walk in the ways of his father ...

I have a special relationship with my dad and my children, each made up of many memories of time spent together. Fathers everywhere have such a great opportunity to influence for good those over whom they have stewardship. This painting is tribute to all those fathers who are really trying to make a difference! My son and grandson (Kyle & Kaiden) are the subjects in this scene ... Kyle's signature white NC ball cap, of course, had to be in the painting! (Acrylic on canvass 24"x 24")

From the Land Bountiful ...

We get to see similar sunsets nearly every day here in Bountiful. Having a temple so close to home is truly a great blessing in our lives. This painting hangs above our fireplace in our family room and reminds us daily that our hearts are bound to those who came before and will influence those who come after. (Acrylic on hardboard 48" x 44")

Do you like apples ...?

When the grandkids are over, we often paint together. London, then about 5, helped me underpaint this apple scene. He soon tired of painting and began inspecting my fly tying station. He was intrigued with the many different "bugs" and was impressed that I knew each of their names!

The next thing I knew, he was playing in the room and tripped ... landing with both hands on the nearly finished painting! The painting flew off the easil and on to my palette of paints. He screamed ... I screamed ... and paint "stuff" flew everywhere! He ran out of the room crying, "I wooined da painting, I wooined da painting". It took awhile to clean things up and to console poor London. I tried to convince him that we could fix the painting, but he wasn't buying any of that.

Soon, however, we made our way downstairs to my studio and we began tranforming his little hand prints into seed pods, and the long, dark line through the painting (my brush mark when the board flew off the easil) into long grass blades. One of the center apples was also smeared a bit, so we repainted it to be "different" and "unique" from the other apples ... I told him that it would represent him! Needless-to-say, he was relieved and impressed that we truly could "fix" the mess.

I explained to him that because of the Savior, every circumstance in our lives can be set straight. As Isaiah explains, "He can make light out of darkness; He can make straight crooked paths". Not every brush stroke will be perfect, some may even be mistakes, but in the end our life's painting can be beautiful with the Savior's help.

London signed one corner of the painting and I signed the other ... our first work of art together! He now has the original ... I repainted this one for my own use to remind me of this wonderful and sacred experience. (Acrylic on hardboard 36"x 12") (August 2006)

Bountiful Temple

Both Adam and Aubrey were endowed in the Bountiful temple. This painting hangs in their home. (Acrylic on canvass 16" x 20")

Christmas Lights on Temple Square

I painted this scene for Kyle and Tiffany as a wedding present. They were married in December just before Christmas in this, the Salt Lake Temple. (Acrylic on canvass 18" x24")