Anne Watson

Submitter Statement:

I first encountered cliffroses while hiking in Rock Canyon. While I was originally attracted to their delicate cream-colored petals, I have since grown to associate these beautiful bushes with gifts I developed while studying art history at BYU. Cliffroses remind me that the ability to see must not be taken for granted, and looking is a skill that must be trained. Just as these flowers can easily be missed by passerby, seemingly mundane or uninteresting pieces of art can reveal profound truths, rewarding invested viewers with the ability to make unforseen connections and experience joy more deeply. I had the opportunity to teach this principle as a museum educator, encouraging everyone from elementary school students to senior citizens to ask questions about what they see. This painting represents my desire to continue practicing the skill of observation, using it to spread awareness of the beauty I see in the world daily. I can use art as a beacon of light around which people may gather, embodying the eternal principle that "truth embraceth truth" and "light cleaveth unto light" (D&C 88:40).

Entry Description

18"x24" Watercolor

Clifforses are shrubs native to Utah and other parts of western North America, and can be found near BYU campus along the benches of the Wasatch Front. This painting represents a cliffrose in full bloom, which occurs in late spring. Since Cliffrose petals are typically only 5 to 8 millimeters long, the ones represented here are larger than life size.