mur620@gmail.com
816-726-8425
Joseph's Grove Vision - Painting
Dear, Saints,
Recently, Jim VunCannon of the Remnant Church approached me about doing a Restoration version of Joseph’s Grove Vision. Everything came together by the Holy Spirit to accomplish the work in an amazingly short time of two months. This included finding models for the figures and a photographer to shoot the visual reference. Doing this painting was an amazing experience, and whetted my desire to tackle other painting subjects and themes from our Restoration perspective. Karen Hacker, the photographer who provided her studio and professional expertise to create visual reference for the work, also was energized by the project and wants us to collaborate in other high quality illustrated works. We both came away from the photo shoot really excited about creating a body of illustrations for all Restoration Saints to use and share with other.
The Remnant Church has expressed interest in commissioning more paintings like the one attached to help produce this much needed body of Restoration work for the benefit and use of all Restoration groups. Though I am not a member of the Remnant, I am so grateful to the leadership of the Remnant Church for their desire to choose this way to help bring all the factions back together once again. Please pray for us all as we move forward in this endeavor together. We all want to be a blessing for the emerging Kingdom’s sake.
Prints are available for sale. Please see the attached list of sizes and suggested donations. I hold the copyright and would ask that no copies be made of the image without my permission. Your support in purchasing prints will help provide the funding for future works. Paintings of this kind of work require considerable expense for the photographer’s studio, time, and models to properly execute the visual reference, as well as the artist’s supplies and time. You will find my contact information is in the heading and also below with the price list.
Thank you, and God bless you all in your Kingdom building efforts,
Muriel Luedeman
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Joseph Smith Grove Experience Prints
Available for Purchase
Includes cardboard backing, printed testimony, and envelop/plastic sleeve
Contact Muriel Luedeman
816-726-8425
mur620@gmail.com
Also available through The Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints.
8” x 10 $15.00
11” x 14” $25.00
16” x 20” $50.00
20” x 30” $75.00
4” x 6” Postcard $1.00 10ct./$7.50
Special pricing available for bulk orders for 8” x 10” and Postcards
Painting Joseph’s Vision of God in the Grove
Muriel Winn Luedeman
July 12, 2018
Sister Joan Vun Cannon and her son, Jim, approached me in late 2017 or early 2018 about
doing a commission painting of Joseph Smith, Jr’s, vision in the grove for The Remnant Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I didn’t think I could do it justice without adequate photographic
reference material for such a painting, and so I passed it up. However, that problem resolved itself in
March and April. I agreed to take on the challenge.
The vision accounts vary considerably, and frankly, I was rather perplexed, wondering how to create an image of what actually occurred in the grove. I spent time in prayer, and even asked for my own vision. I do believe that God, being no respecter of persons, would show Himself to anyone as He did to Joseph. Joseph was a mere farm boy. What God could do for him, He can, and will do for all his seeking children. That request was not granted, however. I believe that by studying it out, I gained clarity and confirmation on the event, and received some amazing Divine insights about our Heavenly Father, Yahweh, and Yehoshua, His Son.
Joseph described what he saw in different ways. In one account, there was no mention of two
personages. Another version he said there were two. Does that negate the experience as false? That
was my quandary at first. I don’t believe it does prove the vision false, for depicting the mystery of
the God Head can be done many ways, and none would be considered false.
There is no doubt, by Jesus’ own words, that there is the Father, and the Son. The Father declared in Genesis, “Let us make man in our image.” God, the Father spoke at Jesus’ baptism, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Jesus prayed to his Father for his followers at Passover, and then for himself in the garden. He also talked about going to the Father after He rose from the dead.
It seemed important for this painting to illustrate the Father and the Son together, yet separately in their relationship to each other and with Joseph. In one account the Father said, “This is my beloved Son; hear him.” In addition, it didn’t seem out of line to depict God the Father with gray hair. I also wanted to capture an expression of love and compassion, even pity in the faces of Yehoshua and Yahweh, for they knew what this young boy’s life was going to be after this experience. There is a smile, but there is also understanding, sorrow, and deep, loving regard for
Joseph’s future sacrifice.
Joseph recounted that an evil presence engulfed him as he began to pray. The pose I chose to capture was after Joseph saw the shaft of light and was engulfed in the loving presence of Jesus and
the Father. He must have had great relief being delivered from the deadly evil presence. He raises his arms to God, as a child who reaches for his earthly father to be rescued from a physical threat.
Yahweh’s right hand rests on Yehoshua’s shoulder, showing the loving bond between them.
In the Father’s left hand are crease lines that naturally appear, but what came out of my brush to
describe the lines was a faint cross. In conferring with the Jim Vun Cannon and Kevin Romer at the
painting approval, Brother Romer wanted to leave the cross lines as they are. We all felt that truly, if
Jesus and God the Father are One, then nail prints in the Father’s hands would signify the pain the
Father experienced too, when His Son hung on the cross.
For me, the painting personalizes for the viewer the LOVE God has for all of His Children, and instantaneously appears when they cry out in doubt and fear. He has compassion for what we all
go through in life, and He is always, always with us, ready to receive us into his loving arms.
I am so grateful to The Remnant Church for this painting commission. The Remnant Church
leadership and I want all Restoration branches to have access to the image for publications and
projections, so it is available free of charge. I may be contacted at: mur620@gmail.com
My thanks also to Karen Hacker for her studio, expertise, and time spent photographing models for reference, and thanks to Troy and Mike Lassen, and Christian Davis for modeling for this project.
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