Last night at 6pm I sat on a panel of artists with Emily Fox on my right and Brian Kershisnik on my left. That was magic. What more can I say?

Other members of the panel were Chris Thornock, Janis Wunderlich, Lee Udal Bennion, Lisa Jackson and Madison Smith. BYU students asked questions about how to balance the full time process of creating art mixed with the demands of family and everyday life, how the response of viewers effect the way we make art, how does looking at the work of other people influence or detract from our own process and vision, and other such astute questions.

After the panel discussion ended, we all made our way to the Harris Fine Arts building where the opening reception of the Nature/Nurture exhibition.

I have four pieces in this exhibit. Two from the 30 Strangers 2010 project, and two from the 30 Strangers 2009 project. The Nature/Nurture exhibition will be on display at the Harris Fine Arts building on the campus of BYU until October 28th. If you have a chance, I suggest you stop by and take a look. It is a very fine show, if I do say so myself. One of the BYU professors associated with the exhibit said, “I have been going to museums for a long time now and I have never seen a better or more comprehensive exhibition on the family.”

I’m so happy to be a part of this exhibit and I would like to say thanks to everyone that came to the opening. Last night was, for certain, one of the great highlights for me in 2010.

Lee Udall Bennion

Co-curator Emily Larsen

Janis Wunderlich

I didn’t take nearly as many pictures as I would have liked last night. I was too busy talking and meeting new friends, and enjoying really great art.

Coming up soon, in October, I’m going to be part of a very cool art exhibit at BYU. I’m really happy about that. The exhibit begins October 5th and there is an opening reception on October 14th and you are welcome to come join us. I hope to see you there.

Here are the details about the exhibit from their website:

Nature and Nurture: Narratives of Family, an exhibition of 10 contemporary artists with ties to Utah or BYU will be on display in the BYU Harris Fine Arts Center B.F. Larsen Gallery October 5,2010 – October 28, 2010. An panel discussion and opening reception will be held Thursday October 14, 2010.

The exhibition will include artwork by Lee Udall Bennion, Emily Fox, Justin Hackworth (hey, that’s me!), Lisa Jackson, Brian Kershisnik, Emily McPhie, Annie Poon, Madison Smith, Christopher Thornock, and Janis Wunderlich.

The exhibitions’ goal is to explore the complex relationships between mothers, fathers, daughters, and sons through a diverse range of artistic mediums and styles. By concentrating on images of the family, and parenthood in particular, this exhibition hopes to provide insight into the beautiful yet challenging dynamics that lie at the core of the family.

by Brian Kershisnik

by Madison Smith

by Justin Hackworth

by Janis Wunderlich

And speaking of exhibits, here’s a reminder that the 30 Strangers exhibit is now showing at the Provo Library until September 29th so you still have a little bit of time to get-on down there and check it out.

Also, this Thursday, September 23rd at 6pm, I’ll be speaking at the Provo Library (in the room right across the hall from the art gallery) and I’m going to be talking about the 30 Strangers project, my process of making portraits, and how you can make better portraits of your own. Informative, fun, and there may even be cookies at the end. And who doesn’t love a good cookie.

Here’s where Justin Hackworth Photography will be tomorrow, Saturday, January 3rd:

http://utahbridalshows.com/

If we’ve never met, now’s the perfect time to come say hello. Plus, we’re giving stuff away. Maybe you’ll be the winner.

The first Friday of every month in Provo is Gallery Stroll. Good times, good art.

Here’s a fun slideshow with more pictures.

The 84th Annual Spring Salon at the Springville Museum of Art opens on April 27th, 2008. It is Utah’s premiere annual fine art exhibition. I just found out today that this portrait I made of Janis Ritchie in my home town of Rexburg, Idaho was selected. I’m so excited!

The exhibition is mostly painting with very few photography pieces. However, another photographer whose work was selected was my friend and fellow Salt Lake Seven member, Bill Patterson. Congrats Bill!

Now let me tell you a little about Janis Ritchie. Janis milks 50 cows, three times a day. Until last year, she had never taken a vacation. As soon as she gets home from church, she goes straight to the milking barn. So don’t ask her to stay after church and chit-chat. Cows don’t like it when things don’t run on time. On days when it’s 20 below zero, she’s milking cows. On days when it’s 100 degrees, she’s milking cows. I’ve met a lot of really hard workers in my life, but I can’t think of anyone that works as hard as Janis Ritchie.