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Show Special day planned for 'historian with a brush' f ' -rtfjU- $crv& --t r;r! l ) V,.-, ' - ' ' ' ,1, By CHERIE HUBER . . - FARMINGTON -The Rock Barn Gallery has planned a special day in honor of artist LeConte Stewart for Nov. 25. LeConte Stewart first came to Davis County in 1914 to teach school ia-ihV-KaysvitteScTiool District Later he was to make his permanent home there and raise his family in Davis County. Stewart has related many times that he came back from art school in New York exhausted, sick and undernourished. "I came back to Salt Lake City broke, needing a job, and wondering what I could do," he said. I had taught school two years in Murray, and that was the nearest thing to me. I liked it because it gave nie the opportunity to paint after school and in the summer. I thought that was the best thing for an artist, so I wrote letters to superintendents of schools throughout Utah, including Hubert C. Burton, Superintendent of Schools in Davis County." Stewart taught under E. M. Whitides, a principal he liked very much. The School District may have brought Stewart to Davis County, but Stewart brought art to the schools. Stewart found no art programs of any kind in Kaysville when he arrived. "They didn't care about it in those days," Stewart hasjbejn -quoted as sayingrlrwaslStcwart's idea to teach interested students two days a week during the noon hour at the local high school. Then he returned re-turned to his regular classes at 1:00 p.m. The noon art classes- were the Irst ajlJmtniclimjiKaysvilter Stewart taught them without pay. Later the superintendent decided to have Stewart teach inservice art lessons to other elementary school teachers at the monthly Teachers' Union meeting. These lessons were to help the teachers instruct their students in basic art fundamentals. It was those Teachers' Union meetings that led Stewart to the girl who would become his wife of 67 years. Stewart walked the young elementary school teacher, Zip-porah Zip-porah Layton, to her aunt's home where Stewart boarded. After supper he escorted her to her home in Layton. In her own life history Zipporah Stewart was later to note," So began our romance, and so began art in Davis county." Besides teaching . school and teaching art, Stewart was involved in many other art projects including work as a free- lance illustrator and designer and as a sip painter. In 1917 Stewart was called on a mission to the Hawaiian Islands by The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints. Missionaries at that time besides proselyting also worked on-4he Hawaii temple of taught school. Stewart was assigned the task of painting murals in two rooms of the temple. Later he was to paint murals in the Cardston Temple in Alberta, Canada, and in the Mesa temple, Ara high school art teacher in Ogden, Stewart was popular with his students. He was a good teacher and launched several students on careers in art. Nevertheless, some of his painting of Depression life wcrcno not as well liked. Some people in Ogden felt that painting Depression scenes and life as it was in the poorer sections of town was not proper. They wrote letters to local newspapers criticizing what they saw as negative art. Other municipal officials worked to have him removed from his teaching job. Stewart's reputation as an artist and as an individual, however, were both high and he began to gain more recognition. Stewart has been called "an historian with a paint brush." Davis County has been especially fortunate for-tunate to be a part of the history that Stewart recorded. Buildings, especially espe-cially old bams, everyday farm life and the change of seasons seemed to fascinate Stewart Of barns he said,' "I have always found an interest inter-est in old bams- the weathering of the lumber and its beautiful tones of LeConte Stewart believes that barns offer an opportunity for artistic expression. He has recorded Davis County history through paintings of old barns, farm life and the change of seasons. gray. Bams afford opportunities of artistic expression. They have relationship rela-tionship with the pioneer communities com-munities in the beginning, and I believe it is important to record this passing period of our time. I think a barn is an institution in Utah which is passing." So it is fitting that Stewart himself be honored by and in the Rock Barn Gallery where art and a sense of history have been combined. combin-ed. The'Rock Bam Gallery will have limited edition prints of four of his works on display, including the newest one out of Santa Claus. The Rock Barn Gallery is at 56 No. Main Street in Farmington. Call 451-7714 for details. |