Touched by the Scriptures 11x14 OE - Litho Print

“TOUCHED BY THE SCRIPTURES”

Jon McNaughton

The Soft Touch of a McNaughton Painting…

“This elderly gentleman lives not too far from me. He is always friendly and kind and willing to share his love for the Savior with any who will listen. As I was modeling him for this painting I said, “Imagine you are reading your scriptures and you feel something special burning inside you witnessing to you that what you are reading is true. At this moment the Lord Himself is sitting beside you and touches you on your shoulder.” As I posed my model I felt the Spirit of the Lord so strong that both my model and I began to cry. I know that my Savior lives and that by reading His Holy words we can draw closer to Him.This dear gentleman has been an avid hiker his entire life, so I felt it was appropriate to place him in a scene where he is resting on a bench somewhere in the mountains. It is toward the end of his journey and his map and compass are close beside him—just as the scriptures is our map and compass to lead us through the journey of life.”

A McNaughton painting is a journey through his fondest memories; flowering deserts of Southern Utah, majestic mountain heights, and charming homes and country scenes from his childhood. The artist’s memories are the focus of his paintings. “I have often found on returning to nostalgic places of my past that they were not as lovely as I remembered in my mind’s eye. For this reason I choose to paint from my heart rather than working from photographs. Usually a small pencil sketch is enough to spark a painting.I suppose I choose to look at the world through my personal rose colored glasses.”