IMAGES OF FAITH
A “Talk About”, or a few thousand words…by DIX BAINES
"As I have practiced painting, I have had so much time to be with my thoughts, to breath-in the scenery, to read and study other kindred spirits in the writings and paintings of artists I admire, and compare them to my testimony of the scriptures. Each was utterly connected to the views that they depicted. Each also depicted a “quality” of the life force, an artistic acknowledgement of God as the originator and central point of all life, and that everything in creation could be taken as evidence of the divine order of the universe.
This scripture of nature, also profoundly influenced another painter of this time, George Inness, who said that "the artists calling was to reflect the omnipresence of divine influx in nature." A definition of the term influx to which he was speaking is the "continual in flowing of God's divine love and wisdom - of life- from Him through the spiritual world, the 'world of causes', into nature, 'the world of effects'." Inness beliefs included that “every thing and every quality from the natural world first possesses a spiritual identity, a correspondence at the level of the soul”. In other words: “that which is spiritual being in the likeness of that which is temporal; and that which is temporal in the likeness of that which is spiritual” D&C 77:2
'We are proud of the artistic heritage that the Church has brought to us from its earliest beginnings, but the full story of Mormonism has never yet been written nor painted nor sculpted nor spoken. It remains for inspired hearts and talented fingers yet to reveal themselves. They must be faithful, inspired, active Church members to give life and feeling and true perspective to a subject so worthy. Such masterpieces should run for months in every movie center, cover every part of the globe in the tongues of the people, written by the best artists, purified by the best critics.'Spencer W Kimball (“The Gospel Vision of the Arts,” Ensign, July 1977, p. 5).
I was impressed at a young age of Presidents Kimball's remarks to create art that edifies. Images of faith are not only for those within the walls of our home, but for the opportunities that come through conversation about them.
Hopefully, this background, and these stories will add further meaning to these paintings."
A “Talk About”, or a few thousand words…by DIX BAINES
"As I have practiced painting, I have had so much time to be with my thoughts, to breath-in the scenery, to read and study other kindred spirits in the writings and paintings of artists I admire, and compare them to my testimony of the scriptures. Each was utterly connected to the views that they depicted. Each also depicted a “quality” of the life force, an artistic acknowledgement of God as the originator and central point of all life, and that everything in creation could be taken as evidence of the divine order of the universe.
This scripture of nature, also profoundly influenced another painter of this time, George Inness, who said that "the artists calling was to reflect the omnipresence of divine influx in nature." A definition of the term influx to which he was speaking is the "continual in flowing of God's divine love and wisdom - of life- from Him through the spiritual world, the 'world of causes', into nature, 'the world of effects'." Inness beliefs included that “every thing and every quality from the natural world first possesses a spiritual identity, a correspondence at the level of the soul”. In other words: “that which is spiritual being in the likeness of that which is temporal; and that which is temporal in the likeness of that which is spiritual” D&C 77:2
'We are proud of the artistic heritage that the Church has brought to us from its earliest beginnings, but the full story of Mormonism has never yet been written nor painted nor sculpted nor spoken. It remains for inspired hearts and talented fingers yet to reveal themselves. They must be faithful, inspired, active Church members to give life and feeling and true perspective to a subject so worthy. Such masterpieces should run for months in every movie center, cover every part of the globe in the tongues of the people, written by the best artists, purified by the best critics.'Spencer W Kimball (“The Gospel Vision of the Arts,” Ensign, July 1977, p. 5).
I was impressed at a young age of Presidents Kimball's remarks to create art that edifies. Images of faith are not only for those within the walls of our home, but for the opportunities that come through conversation about them.
Hopefully, this background, and these stories will add further meaning to these paintings."
"LEHI'S DREAM" by DIX BAINES
What started as a “could you draw me a better sketch to show with my Sunday School lesson?” for my mother-in-law (in 1988), turned into a 40 hour exercise in study and painting. I listened over and over to Handel’s Messiah, hoping that I could receive a partial outpouring of the spirit that he was granted when he wrote that epic work.
As I read the account, it was obvious that there were so many other references, writings of other prophets, who further interpreted or gave additional details about the dream. I began to merge these pieces, these other voices, into a sequence in order to better see how the composition could be developed.
The power of Lehi’s Dream is how it so completely addresses the significance of the purpose of mortality and the plan of the redemption of all mankind, through the atonement of Jesus Christ. In other words, it illustrates “the way, the truth and the light” and stands in like fashion as another gospel of Jesus Christ.
As a dream, it needed to be ethereal yet fragmented, a sublime image (encompassing the full spectrum of all human emotion) and the fear or desolation, as well as joy or harvest that the natural world delivers to the human condition.
The dream and its listing of numerous subjects (a dreary wilderness… and waste, spacious field, tree, fruit, virgin, the Christ, 12 apostles, cross, river of water, rod of iron, gate, fountain, large and spacious building, the world, forbidden paths, multitudes, a gulf, family members) is really a single verb, an exhortation to all mankind “to be doers the word, and not hearers only”.
Merging the View. The root scripture is 1Nephi 8, additional scriptures are inserted (in parenthesis). 1N8:2-3 (1N 11:17) 4-9 (Matt 13;38) 10 (1N 11:9-33) 11 (Alma 32:42) 12 (1N15:36) 14-19 (1N 11:25) (1N 15 23-24) 20 (1N 31:18) 21-23 (1N12:17) 24-26 (1N12:18) 27 (1N 11:35-36) 28 (2 Peter 2:20) (JN 12:23) 29-31 (Matt 7:13) 32 (1N 15:26-29) (2N 1:13) 33-25 (2N 5:20) 36-37 (1N 15:30-36) 38. /store/p85/%22FIRST_FLY%22_WILFORD_WOODRUFF_at_FORT_BRIDGER.html
What started as a “could you draw me a better sketch to show with my Sunday School lesson?” for my mother-in-law (in 1988), turned into a 40 hour exercise in study and painting. I listened over and over to Handel’s Messiah, hoping that I could receive a partial outpouring of the spirit that he was granted when he wrote that epic work.
As I read the account, it was obvious that there were so many other references, writings of other prophets, who further interpreted or gave additional details about the dream. I began to merge these pieces, these other voices, into a sequence in order to better see how the composition could be developed.
The power of Lehi’s Dream is how it so completely addresses the significance of the purpose of mortality and the plan of the redemption of all mankind, through the atonement of Jesus Christ. In other words, it illustrates “the way, the truth and the light” and stands in like fashion as another gospel of Jesus Christ.
As a dream, it needed to be ethereal yet fragmented, a sublime image (encompassing the full spectrum of all human emotion) and the fear or desolation, as well as joy or harvest that the natural world delivers to the human condition.
The dream and its listing of numerous subjects (a dreary wilderness… and waste, spacious field, tree, fruit, virgin, the Christ, 12 apostles, cross, river of water, rod of iron, gate, fountain, large and spacious building, the world, forbidden paths, multitudes, a gulf, family members) is really a single verb, an exhortation to all mankind “to be doers the word, and not hearers only”.
Merging the View. The root scripture is 1Nephi 8, additional scriptures are inserted (in parenthesis). 1N8:2-3 (1N 11:17) 4-9 (Matt 13;38) 10 (1N 11:9-33) 11 (Alma 32:42) 12 (1N15:36) 14-19 (1N 11:25) (1N 15 23-24) 20 (1N 31:18) 21-23 (1N12:17) 24-26 (1N12:18) 27 (1N 11:35-36) 28 (2 Peter 2:20) (JN 12:23) 29-31 (Matt 7:13) 32 (1N 15:26-29) (2N 1:13) 33-25 (2N 5:20) 36-37 (1N 15:30-36) 38. /store/p85/%22FIRST_FLY%22_WILFORD_WOODRUFF_at_FORT_BRIDGER.html
"FIRST FLY" by DIX BAINES
On July 8, 1847, the future third President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Wilford Woodruff, was then a 40 year old member of the original Brigham Young wagon train of Mormon pioneers on their way to settle the Great Salt Lake valley. On that date, the wagon train had arrived at Fort Bridger, Wyoming and took a much needed day off. After breakfast, Wilford Woodruff took the fly rod, reel, line and artificial flies he had obtained in England on his last mission for the church and went fishing on the Black Fork of the Green River just outside the fort. This is the first recorded evidence of a native Rocky Mountain trout being caught on a fly rod, and the first recorded use of a fly rod and artificial fly west of the Mississippi River. Wilford Woodruff recorded the event in his daily journal as follows:
“July 8, 1847 – The Calculation was to spend the day at the fort. As soon as I got my breakfast I riged up my trout rod that I had brought with me from Liverpool, fixed my reel, line & artificial fly & went to one of the brooks close by camp to try my luck ketching trout. The man at the fort said there were but very few trout in the streams, And a good many of the brethren were already at the creeks with their Rods & lines trying their skill baiting with fresh meat & grass hoppers, but no one seemed to ketch any. I went & flung my fly on the [stream] And it being the first time that I ever tried the Artificial fly in America, or ever saw it tried, I watched it as it floated upon the water with as much intens interest as Franklin did his kite when he tried to draw lightning from the skies. And as Franklin received great Joy when he saw electricity or lightning descend on his kite string in like manner was I highly gratifyed when I saw a nimble trout dart my fly hook himself & run away with the line but I soon worried him out & caught twelve in all. And About one half of them would weigh about ¾ of a pound each while All the rest of the camp did not ketch during the day 3 lbs of trout in all which was proof positive to me that the Artificial fly is far the best thing now known to fish trout with.” -WILFORD WOODRUFF
“The first impression of the land surrounding the fort is that is surprisingly lush and beautiful. To the weary traveler, these views had to offer hope. The grass was high the water was cold, clear, and full of fish. Brother Woodruff could not help but want to cast away the burdens of the travels (and his daily encouragement to the “procession” to continue advancing, to yet, an unknown place). “Men are that they might have joy” needs to be the underlying feeling of this piece. Tonight I will paint the fort at sunset. Tomorrow, on the anniversary (159 yrs) of “ketchin fish” I will paint a sunrise (and I hope for one that will prove worthy for the backdrop of this scene)”.
--DIX BAINES (artist journal 7/7/2006)
On July 8, 1847, the future third President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Wilford Woodruff, was then a 40 year old member of the original Brigham Young wagon train of Mormon pioneers on their way to settle the Great Salt Lake valley. On that date, the wagon train had arrived at Fort Bridger, Wyoming and took a much needed day off. After breakfast, Wilford Woodruff took the fly rod, reel, line and artificial flies he had obtained in England on his last mission for the church and went fishing on the Black Fork of the Green River just outside the fort. This is the first recorded evidence of a native Rocky Mountain trout being caught on a fly rod, and the first recorded use of a fly rod and artificial fly west of the Mississippi River. Wilford Woodruff recorded the event in his daily journal as follows:
“July 8, 1847 – The Calculation was to spend the day at the fort. As soon as I got my breakfast I riged up my trout rod that I had brought with me from Liverpool, fixed my reel, line & artificial fly & went to one of the brooks close by camp to try my luck ketching trout. The man at the fort said there were but very few trout in the streams, And a good many of the brethren were already at the creeks with their Rods & lines trying their skill baiting with fresh meat & grass hoppers, but no one seemed to ketch any. I went & flung my fly on the [stream] And it being the first time that I ever tried the Artificial fly in America, or ever saw it tried, I watched it as it floated upon the water with as much intens interest as Franklin did his kite when he tried to draw lightning from the skies. And as Franklin received great Joy when he saw electricity or lightning descend on his kite string in like manner was I highly gratifyed when I saw a nimble trout dart my fly hook himself & run away with the line but I soon worried him out & caught twelve in all. And About one half of them would weigh about ¾ of a pound each while All the rest of the camp did not ketch during the day 3 lbs of trout in all which was proof positive to me that the Artificial fly is far the best thing now known to fish trout with.” -WILFORD WOODRUFF
“The first impression of the land surrounding the fort is that is surprisingly lush and beautiful. To the weary traveler, these views had to offer hope. The grass was high the water was cold, clear, and full of fish. Brother Woodruff could not help but want to cast away the burdens of the travels (and his daily encouragement to the “procession” to continue advancing, to yet, an unknown place). “Men are that they might have joy” needs to be the underlying feeling of this piece. Tonight I will paint the fort at sunset. Tomorrow, on the anniversary (159 yrs) of “ketchin fish” I will paint a sunrise (and I hope for one that will prove worthy for the backdrop of this scene)”.
--DIX BAINES (artist journal 7/7/2006)
