California Pioneer History Exemplified in Art Competition

Contributed By Margaret Snider, Church News contributor

  • FOLSOM, CA

Jeff Byrd of Sacramento, California, won first prize in the California Pioneer Spirit in Art competition in Folsom, California, with his painting of Mormon Battalion guide Jean Baptiste Charbonneau.  Photo by Stan Byrd.

Article Highlights

  • Boyd Jensen and his wife founded the California Pioneer Spirit in Art competition and exhibit in 2010.
  • The California Pioneer Spirit in Art exhibit will be displayed at the Folsom History Museum in Folsom, California, through February 28.

When Boyd Jensen and his late wife, Diane Helen Jensen, of Rancho Cordova, California, served their second mission at the Church History Museum across the street from Temple Square in Salt Lake City, one of his duties was to photograph the winners of the Church’s International Art Competition, which is held every three years.

“When I got back, I could only think of two pieces of artwork that were on early California history,” Brother Jensen said. “So I thought, we’ve got to do the same thing Salt Lake is doing, because they generate so much beautiful artwork on Church history.”

So as part of his role as a member of the board of directors of the California Pioneer Heritage Foundation, and with the sponsorship of that organization, he developed and coordinated the California Pioneer Spirit in Art competition and exhibit. The first competition in 2010 was open to 21 stakes of the Church. The next two competitions, including the most recent one, have been open to all California artists.

“This year the artwork that has been produced is just fabulous,” Brother Jensen said. “We are starting to get a good list of great artwork on the pioneers of early California. That’s why we’re doing it.”

This year, Jeff Byrd of Sacramento won the first prize of $500 with his painting Jean Baptiste Charbonneau—Guide. The artist had intended to do a painting of an ancestor from the Mormon Battalion, but he couldn’t find one. However, he came upon a name that sounded different than other names in the group: Jean Baptiste Charbonneau. Charbonneau, who lived from 1805 to 1866, was the son of Sacagawea and was the guide for the Mormon Battalion.

After traveling with the battalion to San Diego, he worked as as a gold prospector and hotel operator in the Auburn, California, region. During his lifetime he worked as a fur trapper and a translator, spent six years in Europe, and was a linguist with skills in English, German, French, Spanish, and Shoshone and other Indian languages.

Sarah Blair of Sacramento took second place of $250 with her photograph titled The Bear Flaggers. Her husband, Kent Blair, portrayed William Todd, the nephew of Abraham Lincoln’s wife, Mary, who painted the first California bear flag for the Bear Flag Revolt.

Jeff Byrd, said he took “some artistic liberties” with Charbonneau’s wardrobe in his first-prize painting of Mormon Battalion guide Jean Baptiste Charbonneau. “Because he was a fur trader, I gave him a fur collar,” Byrd said. “His Native American heritage is represented by the beads, and his staff is a representation of him being a guide, and then I gave him a red sash as a symbol of trailblazing, or just his determination. When he actually showed up in San Diego, he was the first one to arrive for the Mormon Battalion and he walked to the fore-headquarters and said, ‘The Mormons are here,’ and then walked out. He was wearing buckskins when he did that, and so that’s why I showed his buckskins.” Old San Diego is depicted in the background. Photo by Stan Byrd.

“My sister had the costumes,” Sarah Blair said, “and my husband made the table and the candlestick. We did the paints and I made the flag up, and we re-created everything.” The photo started out in total darkness. “We lit the candle first, and then everything else was pitch black, and my son went around with a flashlight,” she said.

Third place of $150 went to Alison Campbell of Campbell, California, with her painting Early Morning Roundup. She said that her work depicts the optimism and opportunity of the frontier. “Through them I tell the story of those who experience and overcome the struggles of life,” she said. “In my recent work I have been exploring the use of portraiture, landscape, and still life to convey an emotion or conjure a memory. This challenge is to set the stage for the viewers to interact with the scene and bring their own memories and emotions with them. Capturing a moment in art preserves the emotion to be relived and reexamined another day.”

A special prize of $250 was awarded for the best artwork depicting Mormon influences in early California history. This went to Sharon Benton of Rescue, California, for her photograph ‘Til We Meet Again.

“I have always been touched by the stories I have heard regarding the Mormon pioneers as they moved their families across the plain,” she said, “so they could settle in a place that would allow them to worship as they desired and live in peace.”

Her image is of “a grief-stricken mother and father who are burying another child,” she said. “This sweet little girl is being met by her older brothers who have come to greet her and return her to their heavenly home.”

The California Pioneer Spirit in Art exhibit will be displayed at the Folsom History Museum in Folsom, California, through February 28. More information about the California Pioneer Heritage Foundation can be found on the foundation's official website, californiapioneer.org.

Sarah Blair’s photograph, The Bear Flaggers, depicted a reenactment of William Todd painting the first California bear flag for the Bear Flag Revolt. “Many men wanted to turn over California to the Mexicans,” Blair said. “William Ide stood firm. ‘Saddle no horse for me. … Choose ye! Choose this day what you will be!’ He inspired the men to stand their ground. Since most of the group were adventurers and hunters, Todd painted a bear on the flag. On June 14, 1846, the flag was raised and the Bear Flaggers paved the way until the army arrived.” Photo by Boyd Jensen.

Second-prize winner is Sarah Blair of Sacramento, California, with her photograph The Bear Flaggers, a reenactment of the making of the first California bear flag. Photo by Boyd Jensen.

Alison Campbell of Campbell, California, took third prize with her painting titled Early Morning Roundup. Photo by Boyd Jensen.

Sharon Benton of Rescue, California, won the special prize for best depiction of a Mormon theme, with her photograph ‘Til We Meet Again. Sister Benton writes: “This image depicts a grief-stricken mother and father who are burying another child. This sweet little girl is being met by her older brothers, who have come to greet her and return her to their heavenly home.“ Photo by Boyd Jensen.

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