The Utah Artists Exhibit, held at the Old Dome Meeting Hall (1452 W. 12600 South), featured local artists with varying styles of creative expression. This year’s exhibit featured several artists from Riverton and neighboring cities, including Bryan Leggat, Kamrah Holt, Brian Buroker and Maria Victoria Duque.

Holt had a dream to bring affordable Christ-centered art to the public. The South Jordan artist loves painting images of Jesus because “my whole life has changed because of Him.” She had a strong impression to bring people to Jesus through her art.

“People come up with tears in their eyes and say, ‘With your painting, I realized that Jesus loves me,’ or ‘I realize that he’s praying for me,’ or ‘I realize that he’s bigger than my problems.’ With the emotions and the stories, I started to understand that there was a reason behind why I was doing what I was doing and I had to keep going.”

For Buroker, a professional photographer, his work has evolved from abstracts and still life to colorful and detailed nature photography. The Riverton resident had always envied landscape photographers and their ability to capture magic, so he took some online classes and taught himself how to portray nature in a beautiful way.

“I like to go to places that most people don’t go so I can show them what wonderful things are out there,” Buroker said. “I do it sometimes for me, because it’s a pretty picture, and I want to capture it and remember it, but a big part of it is to show the people what’s out there in the world and how beautiful the world is.”

Leggat’s triptych painting, “Growth Through Connection, Connection Through Growth,” is a commissioned piece by a company that valued the interactions its employees had with each other and with clients. The painting was inspired by the world’s largest living organism, Pando. The Utah-based quaking aspen clone has an estimated 47,000 stems that are part of a single tree, connected by roots that span more than 100 acres. 

For Duque, a resident of Saratoga Springs, her pieces are meant to speak to women, to remind them of their fearlessness, their beauty, their courage and their power.

“‘Illusion’ is a woman of sensuality, she’s gorgeous and beautiful,” Duque said. “This inspiration is for the women.”

Along with paintings and photographs, the exhibit also included carved wooden spoons, small framed prints and a collection of art created by artists from the Riverton Senior Center.

The current exhibit at Old Dome Meeting Hall is the Jordan School District High School Art display, featuring high school students presenting a wide range of work including ceramics, sculpture, photography, animation, paintings, drawings and film. The show runs through Wednesday, May 13. The meeting hall is open Monday through Wednesday, from noon to 5 p.m.