Courage to Go Forth

54×18 inches (137×46 cm), oil on board, 2023
Alternate title: Ammon Blessing His Brethren, from The Book of Mormon, Alma chapter 17

This painting depicts Ammon blessing his brethren and a few select companions just before they enter the lands of their enemies, the Lamanites. They had journeyed many days, fasting and praying much to bring, if possible, their brethren “to the knowledge of the truth, to the knowledge of the baseness of the traditions of their fathers, which were not correct”. God assured them they were doing His will:

10 And it came to pass that the Lord did visit them with his Spirit, and said unto them: Be comforted. And they were comforted.

11 And the Lord said unto them also: Go forth among the Lamanites, thy brethren, and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls.

12 And it came to pass that the hearts of the sons of Mosiah, and also those who were with them, took courage to go forth unto the Lamanites to declare unto them the word of God.

Their efforts were rewarded far beyond their expectations:

15 Yea, (many thousands) were encircled about with everlasting darkness and destruction; but behold, he has brought them into his everlasting light, yea, into everlasting salvation; and they are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love; yea, and we have been instruments in his hands of doing this great and marvelous work.

Process

A patron suggested I illustrate the above story, a series of dramatic events in the middle of the Book of Mormon that extend far before and after the links above.

The storyline was dynamic, more like a movie than a still image. I envisioned a panoramic shot encapsulating the main elements of the story, starting on the left with a view of the beautiful but troubled lands Ammon and his brothers came from, to the scene in the middle where he blesses them, to a right-side vista of their goal, the dangerous lands of their relatives, now bitter blood enemies.

First came the sketches, where I gathered the ideas and figured out the space in which to paint them.

I eventually settled on a surface of 54×18 inches, a ratio of 3:1. This allowed the painting to be big enough to be noticed in a gallery but not too big to transport. Conceptually, the ratio divided the surface into three story sections, each 18 inches square, forming a sort of triptych – three separate paintings which could be combined into one – but in reverse, one long painting which could be cropped into three. This design also allowed me to crop it several other ways as well (see below). I designed each section separately, as if each was a standalone image.

Then I started fleshing out the overall setting. I used lumps of clay to represent the city and its people, making each person small enough to fit through the city’s door. I then placed the models on a table, moving them apart enough so that the people looked as if they were on a nearby hill while the city loomed behind them, helping the image own a proper sense of perspective.

The background is a composite of imagination and several reference photos, all heavily modified in the computer and fleshed out from observations of mountain ranges outside my door.

I then gathered and costumed human models, which is where the problems began. I started out with group shots in my basement to solve size, shadow, and lighting relationships but was unhappy with the result. So I reshot the scene with individual models, and shot it again, and yet again to try to get useful results. Finally I just faked it, working from imagination and experience, referring to the model shots when useful.

I painted the background in one 12-hour day, modifying it later. The figures took MUCH longer.

Below is an animation of the painting in progress, from the initial sketch on board, covered with a thin glaze of burnt sienna, burnt umber, and ultramarine blue, then sealed with a layer of GAC 100, to the final artwork, varnished with a thin layer of Gamvar. The orange color provided a sunset-warmed base with which to unify the following paint. I then painted away, working background to foreground, finishing the characters last.

This was my first painting finished using any sort of painting medium. I have experimented with several to my dissatisfaction, but here I used Galkyd throughout, a revelatory experience. The natural glazing process really brought out the colors, and Galkyd’s fast drying time meant I could work more quickly without wasting days waiting for layers to dry. For corrections, I could easily remove the Galkyd using small amounts of Gamsol (yes, I like Gamblin products. Experience is a good teacher. Yes, I’ve received no favors for this endorsement. :-).

Crops

Here are a few ways I cropped the image, the full image being on top:

The Story Continues

I also illustrated a dramatic follow-on to the story, where Ammon’s efforts divide the nation: