St. George artist inspired to paint Christ

In 1983, Del Parson painted his first image of Jesus Christ, known as Christ in the Red Robe, as a commission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.Prior to that image, much of Parsons work included portrait commissions and western art displayed in galleries. Looking back, Parson describes the experience painting Christ in the Red Robe as inspired and a defining moment in his artistic career. Since then he has painted more than 240 commissioned pieces for the LDS church and countless religious paintings for other churches, in addition to numerous non-religious pieces.Parson says his love for art is in his genes as his father was an artist, as are two of his brothers. He spent his youth doodling and sketching in his school notebooks, but it wasnt until college that he received any formal art training. When he did, he discovered his deep love for the craft.