The Savior on the Water

I went to The Window Box Art Gallery in downtown Provo today. There were a lot of really cool paintings and reproductions, but one in particular caught my attention. It was a painting of the Savior walking across the water to rescue the sailing disciples. Unfortunately, I could not find an image of the painting online, so I will have to do my best at describing it.  
The painting was created with oil paint on a canvas. Most of the painting was extremely dark and cool, made up of dark shades of blue, black and gray. The ship was in the back-left area of the painting, and as it was in the distance and the sun was setting, the ship is all black; more of a shadow than anything. The sky is dark and stormy with swirling dark blue and grays making the storm clouds. The color changes around the Savior however, as the sun is setting right above his head. This is the only area of the sky that is not covered in clouds. The setting sun casts an orange glow on Jesus and the water around him. These warm colors make Jesus jump out at you, emphasizing that he is truly the focus of the painting. He is wearing all white but is tinted orange and yellow with the reflection of the sun. The water around his feet is a much lighter blue, absorbing the glowing aura around him. The painting is very much horizontal, the motion of Jesus is a horizontal right towards the distant ship. It is symmetrical, with Jesus placed in the center and the setting sun is placed right above his head, giving him a heavenly glow. The lines are all swirling as it is a storm and visibility is hindered. The painting all seems hazy, much like Van Gogh’s self portraits. Jesus’s face is not clear; it just blends in with the storm around it. I thought this was cool, because the way Jesus’s body and face are hazy even though they are the focus of the painting makes him blend in with the rest of the landscape better. This creates a very surreal feel when viewing it because if you were there witnessing the event, this is how I think you would see it. With waves crashing, lighting flashing, and torrential rain coming down you wouldn’t be able to see every detail of Jesus; he would be a glowing, hazy figure. Likewise, the ship would be barely visible, just as it is here.  
The painting was by LDS artist J. Kirk Richards and was certainly a departure from the typical realistic, clear-cut paintings done by LDS artists. I hope more LDS artists will take risks and paint like him so we can show the world what we are truly capable of.