The Light Gatherer

I was on my way back from taking some paintings to an art show when I heard a bit of a talk Elder Uchtdorf had given. He said how “we are gatherers of light.” I thought that was such a cool image. We spend so much of our lives trying to discover the things that give our lives purpose. Representing that lifelong quest with little orbs of light seemed the perfect metaphor. While we’re doing this light-harvesting, little friends are attracted to us along the way. Maybe they bring us sustenance like the ravens did for Elijah, or maybe they just poop on us, but either way we are not alone in our search. If we stay focused on the light, we’ll be okay.

The lights represent tidbits of truth. You may notice that this woman does not have anywhere to store the lamps. That is because she must put them inside. This reminds us that truth is only as useful as we can internalize it. The flowers represent the blossoming of our understanding as we gain more orbs of truth. The birds represent those who help us along our quest. Sometimes, unfortunately, that help comes in the form of demonstrating what the opposite of light and truth is. Either way, no interaction is wasted. For my setting I chose a forest. Forests are interesting to me. Growing up in Utah with very little firsthand experience of ‘real’ trees, I see them as magical, or even sacred, spaces. They appear in all the stories. Sometimes they represent oppressive, scary places where one gets lost. Sometimes they serve as resorts of refuge or solitude. One’s attitude really dictates whether this is a sacred place to gain enlightenment or as a dark place one is trying to leave behind by gathering enough truth.

Samantha Long is an artist who loves patterns, bright colors, and whimsy. She started taking art lessons at the age of 10 with fine artist Monique DeWitt and continued with art through high school. It wasn’t until Samantha was chosen as a Sterling Scholar for Fine Art, however, that she started taking art more seriously. After taking her art portfolio over to Bob Barrett and receiving an invitation to study with his department, Samantha decided to study Illustration at Brigham Young University under Christopher Thornock, Robert Barrett, and Bethanne Andersen. “I did Illustration not because I intended to do illustration— quite the contrary, actually; I hate being told what to paint. I did it because the program taught me how to draw. If you can draw, you can tackle pretty much anything— in art and life.”

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