Two talented but relatively unknown artists in Utah County are poised and ready to make an impact in the world of fine art.
- Derek Hegsted has already made a name for himself as an illustrator. He was the grand-prize winner in the 1989 L. Ron Hubbard Illustrators of the Future Competition, a contest in which illustrators from 30 countries competed.Among his credits are illustrations for three books: "Fear," "Serpent Catch" and "Murisaki." He has also designed covers for several fantasy books.
"And I barely finished illustrations for a book on fat management," Hegsted said.
"Fat management?" I asked.
After seeing the illustrations of fat cells - not to mention fantasy art, portraits, oil lift-out paintings of celebrities, etc., I realized how versatile this artist really is. In fact, he enjoys tackling any new subject matter that accompanies a commission. And he succeeds by combining his mastery of a number of mediums with a fertile imagination and the ability to produce precise detail.
For the past couple of years, however, Hegsted has directed his attention to religious art. This interest was triggered when the artist read President Spencer W. Kimball's article on the gospel vision of art in the July 1977 issue of the Ensign.
To date, Derek has completed three large religious paintings - "Fear of Hope," "I Will Not Fail Thee" and "Hearts to Their Fathers." All three can be seen presently.
Part of the first painting has been reproduced in this month's Ensign. It shows Mary Magdalene lingering at Christ's open tomb, clutching a piece of linen that had enveloped the Savior's dead body.
She has just heard a tender voice uttering the word "Mary." Hegsted says, "Joy swelling within her, she turned to the light, fearing to hope when it seemed, `it cannot be'."
His second religious painting, "I Will Not Fail Thee," won a merit award in the Third International Art Competition that just opened at the LDS Museum of Church History and Art.
The painting shows a teenage girl being embraced by Christ. Hegsted explains "When you return to his strong arms, you will recognize the wounds in the palms of his hands and you will cry to him, `Who has caused this pain?' He will reply, `These are the wounds I received in the house of my friends. Yet they fulfilled our Father's plan, and are of infinite worth to thee . . . .' "
The painting took five months to complete. Following completion, the artist had prints made in three sizes. "We've sold 6,000 prints in 10 months. In fact, the 8-by-10-inch prints are almost gone."
The third religious painting has been accepted in the 70th Annual Utah Spring Salon set to open Sunday, April 10, at the Springville Museum of Art. It shows a grandfather reading to his granddaughter out of an old diary containing a photo of her great, great grandmother. Titled "The Hearts of the Fathers," the message of this 3 1/2-by-2 1/2-foot painting deals with genealogy.
Hegsted graduated from Rigby High School in May 1983 and later from Ricks College with two associate degrees - illustration and fine arts.
He's very much aware of the gulf that exists in the minds of many between illustration and fine art.
"But if you're a fine artist, it will show," he said as he pointed to his print "I Will Not Fail Thee." "Edges are softer and smoother - creating a mood. Illustrations have harder edges and tell stories rather than conveying feelings."
Hegsted appears to be successful not only in bridging the gap between fine art and illustration, but drastically narrowing that gap.
- Kraig Varner is well on his way to being a well-known sculptor, thanks to a commission to sculpt a monumental figure of Brigham Young to grace the rotunda of the Utah State Capitol.
Several years ago, Varner entered a statewide competition in which approximately 40 sculptors submitted proposals and slides for this monumental sculpture. He said he saw one of the seven finalists and was asked to sculpt a 21-inch maquette of his ideas. He submitted his maquette in October 1992.
"I received the commission a month later," he said.
The judges were impressed with Varner's interpretation of the prophet. "Many of the other entrants sculpted a bearded Young over 60 years of age," the sculptor said. "I pictured him as a vigorous, determined, frontiersman between 45 and 50 years of age - and without a beard." He said that Young didn't grow his beard until he was 59 or 60.
"I'm not real fond of monuments - they're often so stiff and static," Varner confessed. "So I wanted to show Brigham Young moving." He added that he wasn't going to place the finished bronze sculpture on a high pedestal. "I want him on a low pedestal, working with the people."
When the statue of Brigham Young reaches its final destination in the rotunda of the state Capitol, viewers who look closely at the sculpture will discover more of Varner's philosophy and technique.
"I like to keep a lively texture; that's a natural part of my work," he said. "With this figure, the relatively rough texture helps to activate it and suggest movement."
There's no question that the sculptor admires the work of Rodin and the unfinished pieces by Michelangelo where figures appear to be emerge from rough surfaces of stone.
Varner constructed his new sculpture with heavy-duty steel and then added 1,500 pounds of clay. By now, the clay sculpture has been completed and the artist is in the process of making a silicone mold in 12 to 15 sections.
After this stage is complete, wax will be poured into the molds, followed by a ceramic core. A hollow bronze sculpture will be created by using the lost-wax method.
The sculpture is being cast at Metal Letters, a foundry in Lehi owned by Kevin Maag. This foundry was formerly named Wasatch Bronze Works.
Varner says that it's his understanding that the 1,000 pound bronze sculpture will be unveiled on July 25, 1994. "But this project is part of the celebration of the upcoming Utah Centennial (in 1996)."
The commission is a result of a resolution presented to the state government by Don LeBaron, representative from Highland. After the resolution passed, the money has been raised, thanks to sizeable donations by five or six Utahns.
Varner is a college graduate, receiving his bachelor of fine arts degree at the Brigham Young University, where his "main mentor" was Franz Johansen.
While going to school, he worked part time at Wasatch Bronze Works; after graduation, full time, as he helped top Utah sculptors turn their wax or clay sculptures into bronze masterpieces.
However, for the past three years, he's been a full-time sculptor.
His creations have been displayed in the F. Weixler Gallery for four years; in the Framework Gallery in Orem for three; and in Park City's Repartee Gallery ever since it opened about two years ago.