Of course, thereís generally plenty of room for the imagination to stretch. Several of the works in the exhibit found their eventual home next to stories, either in books or besides articles in LDS church publications. Though the subjects are restricted by the related text ó a situation that leads to odd, imagination-sparking combinations like a basketball and a herd of cattle ó it is the hands of an artist that infuse the faces with such emotion, making these strangers seem like real flesh-and-blood people.
Occasionally, however, itís not people (or anything even recognizable) getting illustrated. Artist Ben Sowards offers up glimpses into the world of Leven Thumps, including a small stick man that appears to be extremely annoyed. Here, the illustrations have an even greater responsibility, helping to make a fantasy world real enough to touch.
Sometimes, the artist gets to make up the story as well, as Judy Cooley does with the illustrations from her books, ìI Love You More,î and ìMom Says I Can.î Each page of the story follows a simple theme, whether it be the beach or pumpkins or pretending to be a cowboy, and Cooley brings it to life with round-cheeked children playing through a picturesque landscape. Of these, ìRaggedy Annî is both the simplest and most poetic, with the pure white background imbuing the little girl with a kind of quiet grace.
Other times, the illustrator is left to work without restrictions so as not to limit the potential of what they can come up with. The exhibit includes posters by Rudy Guitierrez, who has worked for Rolling Stone, the New York Times, and the cover for Santanaís ìShamanî CD. His work is a combination of tribal and street art, with specifics that seem restricted only by his imagination.
After all, the human mind is sometimes the most fascinating thing to illustrate.
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