Joseph Smith Farm
This photograph was taken from the trail leading to the Sacred Grove on the Joseph Smith farm near Palmyra, New York. Recently this Church historic site was returned to a state of appearance closer to the time around 1820 when the Smith family lived there and Joseph Smith received his First Vision as a fourteen–year–old youth.
Portrait of Joseph Smith Jr.
This portrait of Joseph Smith was inspired by the recent dedication of the Nauvoo Temple by President Gordon B. Hinckley, in which he referred to the building as "Joseph's Temple."
Condolence
On 11 September 2002, the first anniversary of the terrorist attack in New York, the artist felt connected with fellow humans across the globe. He had hoped to capture such an emotion but wasn't quite so sure that he could ever feel that way. Yet there it was, an unmistakable ability to see himself in others and vice–versa. There is something incredibly hopeful about collective mourning. Charitable behavior was unleashed all around him. Condolences sweeping across communities made the artist sense the essence of his religion: "Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort" (Mosiah 18:9).
Child of Christ
The scriptures pose the questions: "Have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?" (Alma 5:14). This young woman stands for all young women coming to the Savior, not just a young woman of our day. Her costume is of no particular time period and she is in no recognizable place. She represents His sacrifice for us, wherein lies our salvation. In retrospect it shows God's love and the joy of accepting and living His teachings.
A Light unto the World
Light is a universal symbol of truth. The Christmas lights on Temple Square in Salt Lake City celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. These beautiful lights beckon the entire world to come and worship Him as the Savior and to learn of the restored truths of His gospel.
President Benson's Borrowed Suit
After the artist's grandparents' conversion and following the death of his grandfather, his grandmother and their six children came to America from New Zealand. With the help of returned missionaries from New Zealand and others, they settled in Whitney, Idaho, near the Benson farm. For this family portrait (based on a similar photograph) the boys borrowed suits from the Benson boys who were about the same age and size. The artist's father (in the middle of the second row) wore the suit of Ezra Taft Benson, who later became President of the Church.
Armenian Needle Lace
The artist's mother, Mary Mardirossian, was a survivor of the Armenian genocide of 1915. Mary learned knitting and Armenian needle lace in an orphanage. When she contracted an arranged marriage to Abrahm Hindoian, she brought with her many domestic skills. The artist's father brought his faith in Christ and in the Restoration and her mother received this with joy. She taught the artist lace making when she was 14, but she also taught her the gospel as they sewed. Her love for the Church became the artist's love too. In this pattern daughters are being taught the gospel. In the lace one sees the endless thread as the eternity of faith and the blessings of God received through one's parents. The simple knots represent covenants we make enabling us to become eternal families.
Spirit Descending
The subject matter depicted was inspired by the scripture "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him" (John 1:32). The focus is on Christ, for John the Baptist later said, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30).
By Their Fruits Ye Shall Know
The Master taught, "By their fruits ye shall know them" (Matthew 7:20). Holding a bowl of good fruit for all the world to see, this woman is surrounded by both the blossoms of new growth and the yellow background that symbolizes knowledge. As a woman of covenant she recognizes that her time on Earth, although fraught with challenges, is full with blessings and rich in hope. As a matriarch, the artist believes domestic tasks and daily toil must be intertwined with heavenly gifts. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance" (Galatians 5:22–23).
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