Monday, August 29, 2022

Who Knew, So Many People Know About A.B. Wright...?


 Who knew?

Certainly not me.

I'm relatively new to our local congregation. I haven't been to the meetinghouse as much as I normally would, due to covid and all, but I try and go every week. Yesterday, as I walked through the halls on my way to the chapel, I noticed a painting. Funny, how I never saw or acknowledged the painting before because it's a BIG painting. It's so big, the only way I could get most of it in one shot was to stand off to the side and hope for the best.

This particular meetinghouse is of cultural significance to the community. It's almost 100 years old so when I saw the painting it seemed normal for a significant piece of art to be found inside. I spotted the signature in the painting's lower right corner, snapped another picture, and thought it might be a good "Pic Of The Day" candidate.

So, last night I posted the picture, then did a little research on A.B. Wright.

Whoa!

Wasn't expecting what I found.

I also wasn't expecting the response I received on social media. Turns out, many know much more about the artist than I did. I found an article written years ago from the Salt Lake Tribune about Alma B. Wright You can access the story by clicking: HERE. Since much of his famous (or, infamous...) exploits are in the story, I won't go into detail here. Needless to say, he led a colorful life.

I have many social media friends, several of whom are artists. They knew who he was. I even had a friend who is a descendant of the artist and own original art from the man. That is very cool.

When I started posting a picture a day on social media back in 2011, I just thought it would be a fun thing to do. Actually, I wanted to make sure I didn't lose my love of photography by forcing me to take at least one picture every day. I didn't know I'd find out about some important Utah history and how the art--and artist--are viewed today.

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