(Unconfirmed) John Egner | Oil
Acquired: 2015
John Egner (1940-2021) is a painter from New York, New York and Detroit, Michigan. This painting was purchased by a Utah family from an art gallery in New York several years ago.
Principal Piper Riddle obtained this painting when she saw it for purchase online. When she went to purchase it and told the seller that she was purchasing it for Draper Elementary’s art collection, the seller wanted to donate the painting but asked to remain anonymous in doing so.
Edwin Moss | Oil
Big Cottonwood Tranquility depicts a winter landscape in the Big Cottonwood area of Utah. The composition shows a snow-covered riverbank with trees along the edge and a muted, overcast sky. The scene is quiet in character, with a restrained palette and simplified forms.
The work is dated 1977 in the primary record, while a secondary valuation document lists 1979. The medium is also inconsistently recorded as both oil on canvas and acrylic on canvas in different parts of the documentation.
Collection records note that the subject matter is associated with locations the artist visited while growing up in Bountiful, Utah.
Donated: 2006 | Lynn Smith | Oil
Century Plant portrays several flowering yucca plants standing in an open desert landscape beneath a deep blue sky. The tallest plant dominates the composition, its towering flower stalk reaching upward while smaller yuccas recede into the distance, creating a strong sense of scale and perspective.
Although commonly called a “Century Plant,” the subject appears to be a yucca, likely one native to the American Southwest, rather than a true century plant (Agave americana). Yuccas produce tall flowering stalks with clusters of creamy white blossoms much like those depicted in the painting. The title may have been chosen because “century plant” is a familiar name often applied to large flowering desert plants, or because of its symbolic meaning of patience and endurance.
Smith uses expressive brushwork and a warm palette of desert greens, pinks, ochres, and earth tones to capture the rugged beauty of Utah’s arid landscape. The expansive sky and low horizon emphasize the resilience of the plants, which thrive in one of nature’s harshest environments.
While little has been published about Lynn Smith’s artistic career, he is an important figure in the history of the Draper Elementary Art Collection. Smith grew up in Draper and attended the historic Park School, the predecessor to Draper Elementary. As a student, he participated in the long-standing tradition of raising money to purchase artwork for the school’s collection—a tradition begun in the late 1920s under Principal Reid Beck. Decades later, after becoming an artist himself, Smith donated Century Plant in 2006 as a way of giving back to the school that helped inspire his appreciation for art.
The donation of Century Plant marked an important moment in the collection’s history. After decades with few new acquisitions, Principal Piper Riddle began adding works to the collection annually. Smith’s gift became one of the first new original paintings to continue the tradition established by the Park School community generations earlier.
Today, the painting serves as a bridge between the collection’s early history and its modern stewardship.
Unknown | Framed Stone
This is one of the most unusual objects in the Draper Elementary Art Collection because it is not a painting at all. Instead, it is a naturally occurring piece of sandstone whose layered mineral deposits create an image that resembles a painted landscape.
At first glance, this work appears to be a panoramic landscape painting with rolling hills, distant mountains, and dramatic skies. In reality, every line, shadow, and “brushstroke” was created by nature over millions of years.
The image is formed by the natural layering of sandstone. As ancient sand dunes were buried, compressed, and cemented into rock, changes in mineral content—especially iron oxides and other trace minerals—created alternating bands of tan, brown, cream, and reddish hues. When a slab is cut parallel to these layers and polished, the resulting patterns often resemble landscapes, rivers, clouds, or mountain ranges.
This phenomenon is sometimes called picture stone or landscape stone, and no two pieces are exactly alike.
Southern Utah is internationally famous for its spectacular sandstone formations. Much of the rock exposed around St. George belongs to formations deposited in deserts and coastal environments millions of years ago. Cross-bedding—the sweeping curved lines visible throughout this piece—records the movement of ancient sand dunes shaped by prehistoric winds. These natural structures can create remarkably artistic patterns when quarried and cut. Rather than being carved or painted, this specimen reveals the Earth’s own geologic “artwork.”
The artwork invites viewers to consider the relationship between art and nature. It challenges the question, What is a work of art? While no artist applied paint to a canvas, the stone’s natural composition evokes the same emotional response as a traditional landscape painting. It serves as a reminder that beauty can be found in the natural world and that geology and art are often closely connected.
This piece is especially appropriate for the Draper Elementary Art Collection because it broadens the definition of art. Alongside paintings, ceramics, sculpture, and prints, Pictures in Stone demonstrates that natural objects can inspire wonder and creativity. It encourages students to see artistic beauty not only in museums but also in the landscapes of Utah itself, making it one of the collection’s most distinctive educational objects.
Dean Bishop | Oil
Plowed Field is a wonderful example of Utah regional landscape painting. It reflects the deep appreciation many Utah artists have had for the state’s agricultural heritage and mountain scenery.
Plowed Field depicts cultivated farmland stretching toward the base of the Wasatch Mountains. Freshly turned rows of rich brown soil contrast with patches of green fields, while a rugged mountain peak rises dramatically in the background. The composition balances the geometric patterns of agriculture with the organic forms of the surrounding landscape, celebrating the relationship between people and the land.
The painting emphasizes broad shapes and harmonious earth tones rather than fine detail. Bishop’s restrained palette of browns, ochres, greens, and muted blues creates a quiet, contemplative scene that reflects the character of Utah’s farming communities.
The title suggests that the freshly worked field symbolizes renewal, growth, and the beginning of a new season—an enduring theme in landscape painting.
Dean Bishop was a Utah artist and educator whose career was devoted as much to teaching as to painting. According to Draper Elementary’s records, he studied under the renowned Utah landscape painter LeConte Stewart at Utah State University and continued his artistic training with other instructors.
Dean Bishop spent 32 years as an art teacher in the Jordan School District. Before serving in the military during World War II, he taught at Draper Elementary and Draper Junior High School. After the war, he continued teaching in Riverton before joining the faculties of Bingham High School and Brighton High School, where he influenced generations of young artists.
Although there is little published information specifically about Dean Bishop’s own artwork, his legacy as an educator reflects an era when many Utah school art teachers were also practicing painters who introduced students to the traditions of regional landscape art.
Daniel Growler | Water Color & Ink
The three small circles are the three worlds: the pre-existence, the present and the future. The two large circles (separated) are the father and the son. The attached small circle is the little brother. Although the work is untitled, it shares many of the same visual ideas Growler used throughout his career. The composition is built around interconnected circles, bold red and black forms, radiating black lines, and carefully placed symbolic colors. Rather than depicting a realistic scene, the painting communicates ideas through symbols and relationships between shapes.
This artwork introduces students to a perspective that differs from traditional Western art. Instead of focusing on realistic representation, it encourages viewers to think about symbolism, family, spirituality, and cultural identity.
The painting also provides an opportunity to learn about the Paiute people, whose history is deeply connected to Utah long before the arrival of European settlers.
Daniel Growler was a member of the Cedar Band of Paiutes, part of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah. Born and raised in Cedar City, Utah, he graduated from Cedar High School in 1968 before earning a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Art from Brigham Young University in 1980 and a master’s degree in Psychology from the University of Utah in 1990.
Growler described himself as an “Indian Graphic Artist.” Rather than creating literal illustrations of Paiute history, he developed a contemporary visual language of circles, radiating lines, geometric forms, and symbolic colors to tell stories that had traditionally been passed down orally through generations. In recent years, Growler became widely known for his large public murals in southern Utah, including Suh’dutsing (The Cedar People) in downtown Cedar City, which celebrates the history and beliefs of the Cedar Band of Paiutes.
Daniel Growler helped preserve and share Paiute culture through public art, murals, and educational outreach. His artwork demonstrates how traditional stories and beliefs can be expressed through a contemporary artistic language while remaining deeply rooted in cultural heritage. His murals continue to educate visitors throughout southern Utah and have become important landmarks celebrating Paiute history and identity.
Alice Vitacco | Oil
This artist is known for her large “Abstracts” and “Rhythmics” under the name of “Bendelack.”
Alice was a native Easterner born in Mineola, Long Island, New York in 1909. She won six years of continuing scholarships to the New York School of Applied Design for Women. She was a prize winning graduate student in both school and public exhibitions.
She studied an additional three years at the Art Students League of New York, and was also a member of the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors.
Gift by artist 1952 | William Bartlett | Oil
“Abstract” reflects the bold, modern artistic style that gained popularity during the 1950s. The composition features striking geometric forms, vivid colors, and carefully shaded shapes that create a sense of depth and movement. The eye is naturally drawn to the large orange sphere before following the surrounding forms through the dynamic arrangement, inviting viewers to explore the balance between color, shape, and space.
A native of Tennessee, Bartlett served as the Jordan School District’s Supervisor of Art Instruction from 1929 to 1967, where he influenced generations of students and teachers through his dedication to arts education. He generously donated Abstract to the Draper Art Collection in 1952. The painting reflects both his interest in contemporary artistic trends and his commitment to introducing modern art to young audiences.
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