"Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep" was spoken, according to the Bible, nearly 2,000 years ago. But for renowned Salt Lake City artist Jeff Hein, this statement, along with the miracle that accompanied it, is just as applicable today.
In Hein's latest painting, titled "Raising of Lazarus," Hein depicts himself as Lazarus being raised from the dead.
"I know what it feels like to wake up thinking that you won't wake up again," he said. "I can imagine Lazarus thinking, 'OK, this is it,' and then all of a sudden he opens his eyes again and is like 'what the heck?' I went through that twice."
About 10 years ago, Hein was diagnosed with testicular cancer.
Although he endured treatment for six months, the most challenging part of the illness came after the cancer was gone. During a surgery to remove the grape-size tumor, doctors needed to temporarily remove his intestines. After the surgery was complete, Hein experienced stomach pains so severe, he'd get "in the fetal position just wanting to die."
By the time doctors finally found out what was wrong two weeks later, his intestines had gangrene, his temperature was 107 and he had lost 40 pounds.
What followed was a round of major and minor surgeries to clean the infected area and keep Hein alive.
"After the last two surgeries, they told me to say goodbye to my family before I went in because they thought there was a really good chance I wouldn't wake up," he said.
Hein recovered from the surgery a year later and was taken off intravenous feeding, which doctors predicted he would be on all his life. Compared to this experience, Hein said cancer was a breeze.
Hein attributes this experience as one of many reasons why he's become a successful painter.
Although he describes his professional painting career as only three years young, he completes an average of 25 paintings a year, which sell from $7,000 to nearly $80,000 apiece.
This type of success shocked Hein's parents, who didn't think his career choice was going to be profitable.
When he sold his first painting for $200, his mother was shocked.
"My parents would say, 'You'll never make any money as an artist; all artists starve.' "
What motivated Hein the most in the beginning of his art career was not only his desire to paint, but the constant support supplied by his wife, Jen.
Jeff and Jen, both from New York state, met when they served missions in Salt Lake City for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1994. Jeff said during the time he was severely ill, he had a lot of time to consider what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. He thought about who he would marry and he kept thinking about his old mission friend.
When she got off her mission, the two dated four days before deciding to marry. During their courtship, Jeff said he was touched by Jen's care for him while he was still on intravenous feeding and she had to help him when he'd visit her house.
At this time, the couple had only been dating for two days.
"I don't know how I handled it that well," she said. "Usually, I'd be like, 'Gross, I'm not touching this.' I don't remember being squeamish at all. I'd just help him clean it up. It's just what you did when you were around him."
The support Jen offered before their marriage translated into complete devotion during marriage. Often times, Jeff's parents would say about his wife that she would support him no matter what he did, even if he wanted to make a hot air balloon and sail to the moon."
Eventually, Jen's support and Jeff's love for art, which he said first solidified in his mind during the second grade, launched his career in 2002, one year shy of graduating from the University of Utah. He dropped out of school to pursue painting full time, a decision he doesn't regret.
Jeff said 95 percent of his work now consists of painting, and 10 percent of his work is commissioned. Jeff's paintings seem to follow two schematics: contemporary art, which sells better in New York and California and typically takes weeks to complete, and religious art, which sells in Utah and sometimes takes several months to complete.
With "Raising of Lazarus," Jeff took a year to conceptualize the image and started painting in early August. He said he doesn't mind the long process, even though he said he doesn't miss looking at the paintings once they're sold.
Jeff described some Sundays while working on "Raising of Lazarus" as some of the longest days in months because he was so anxious to get back to work the next Monday.
"I love what I do; that's my number one motivation," he said. "It's like going to Toys 'R' Us for work or something."
The peaceful, quiet atmosphere inside his studio situated on top of Benihana restaurant in downtown Salt Lake City matches his relaxed demeanor as he paints. He'll sit for an hour, trying to touch up a 6-inch area on his canvas calmly, as if he has all the time in the world.
And he does. Jeff makes his own deadlines, negotiates his own prices and is given the creative license to paint what he wants, when he wants. That's precisely what he did with his newest piece.
His schedule is ideal, but sometimes the pressure and critical nature of the job weighs down on him.
"With an artist it's like you're walking out into a room with your underwear on and everyone's pointing and laughing," Jeff said. "When I show 'Raising of Lazarus' I guarantee that every artist in all of Salt Lake will come up and find something wrong with it. That gets kind of old."
But even amid the criticism, Jeff said he goes to work first to provide for his family: Jen, and their twin 2-year olds, Ady and Chase.
E-mail: spayne@desnews.com