the miracle of forgiveness by spencer w kimball

One eye is closed, and the other is being sewn shut to acknowledge tension and pressure not to see a new perspective. I wanted the face to show depth and have a hollowed out, hungry feeling to give the sense of the deprivation of body and soul that we experience in conforming the expectations of Mormon living. This piece is an exploration of the process of living and awakening from growing up in Mormon indoctrination.Ĭreating this helped to process my experience of marrying young and completely submitting to patriarchal ideals. They are positioned to have her in their periphery.

The men are built and bent in ways to humanize them, gesturing perhaps that in their roles, they might have different attitudes and levels of humanity and pride personally. Tiny fragile sticks as antlers represent assumed and false power. I have always been fascinated that we take instruction from Satan inside of the temple. In the Mormon temple ceremony this apron symbolizes Adam and Eve covering their nakedness after Lucifer has made them aware of it. Three tiny priesthood holders who stand below the woman, wear the ceremonial green leaf apron that is worn during Mormon temple ordinances. I wanted to make a giant powerful naked woman as an affront to the Judeo-Christian male gaze.įor this piece, I really wanted to play with scale which in this context signals the perception of value and identity. As the Miracle of Forgiveness is ironic from the cover to the message within, the artwork is self-ironic in its protective exterior to its full vulnerable and welcoming interior display. The first being a sense of an external force being able to close and hide the figure and the second, the briefcase itself acts as a book cover. Having the artwork in a briefcase has a twofold purpose. The artwork had an emotional aesthetic but lacked a grounding human presence which was solved through adding a paper clay based painted sculpture. The removal led me to also abstract the words on the pages and then transform them from mere boundaries to butterflies, free against the sky.

A sense of pleasant meandering and rest are evoked in the soft golden glow and desaturated hues so I reclaimed these tones by removing the words.

Looking at the cover art of the Miracle of Forgiveness, there is an environmental irony in the golden hour view of the mountains, forest, and body of water and the words contained in the book.

The miracle of forgiveness by spencer w kimball