He Is Risen

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Art Story

A man who had recently visited the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem came to me and described the personal feelings he had experienced while he was there. He said that as he stepped out of the darkness of the tomb and into the sunlight, he was overwhelmed as he though of Christ’s resurrection. He wanted me to recreate those feelings in a painting of the Savior stepping out of the tomb and into the early morning sun. He commissioned me to do this painting for him because he wanted Jesus to resemble te Red Robe painting (The Lord Jesus Christ), which was his favorite painting of the Savior.

I wanted this piece to be accurate and to capture the feelings he described to me, so I built a tomb door opening in my living room out of 2x4s to have a model step out of for the painting.

Many people have enjoyed this painting and some have commented to me that the placement of his hands is meaningful to them. One hand is behind Him, touching the opening of the tomb, and the other hand reaches forward. It is as if he is putting the tomb and death behind him and reaching ahead into eternity.

A couple years after I finished this painting, I was able to visit the tomb in Jerusalem. I thought about the man whose feelings for that place were so deep that he went to the effort to search me out and find me to paint it for him. I understood those feelings as I visited the tomb and felt what he had described for me. This was a sacred place, where one of the most significant events in all of history took place. I hope I have been able to capture that feeling with this painting. Del Parson's 'He is Risen' painting captures the powerful moment of Jesus emerging from the tomb, radiating divine victory and resurrection. This iconic artwork symbolizes the triumph of hope over despair, serving as a timeless reminder of the central message of Easter and the promise of redemption.

About the Artist

Del Parson was raised in Rexburg, Idaho where his father was an art professor at Ricks College and his mother taught second grade. His father often took his nine children on painting excursion campouts. He found his father’s love of art to be contagious, as did two of his brothers, who became artists as well. Del began painting in college and found that he had a natural ability and keen interest in it.

After earning his MFA from Brigham Young University, Parson became a free-lance artist in 1975. He illustrated for LDS Church magazines from time to time and found a great deal of enjoyment in it. In 1978, a tragedy changed his life. His wife and daughter were killed in a car accident. He felt the Spirit of God helping him through the tough times and began to paint religious subjects to give others the sense of hope that he found and to share with them his love of life.

After being a gallery and portrait artist for 13 years, Del received an appointment to teach at Dixie College, now Dixie State University, in 1988 where he has taught for 30 years. He has found the opportunity to be with students and teach them his love of art to be greatly rewarding. He particularly loves to teach portrait drawing and painting.

Del lives in Cedar City and has 6 six children and 14 grandchildren.

He continues to paint commissions and gallery paintings. His paintings of Christ evoke a strong emotional response from viewers, and both his religious and historical paintings have received numerous regional and national awards. Parson’s work has been exhibited at the Allied Artists of America, National Academy of Design, Knickerbocker Artist, American Artists Professional League, and the Amarillo Rotary Show. His paintings are in the collections of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Southern Virginia University, Dixie State College, Southern Utah University, Brigham Young University, Springville Museum of Art and BYU-Idaho and among numerous corporate and private collections.

“When you feel inspired,” says Parson, “a painting takes on a life of its own. When that happens, the experience is pure joy. It is moments like these that an artist loves best.” Del Parson's paintings of Christ evoke a strong emotional response from viewers. Feeling God's love, Parson paints religious subjects to give others the sense of hope that he has found and to share with them his love of life and its beauty.

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