It’s been a while since I had time to complete one of these, and with the uploading of this video, I am about 12 temples behind the Church. Busy Busy! Enjoyt he video though!
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Nauvoo Temple Virtual Tour
The third and final installment of my planned virtual tours launched today, a full 12 hours earlier than I intended. Guess that’s what I get for not checking if I hit AM or PM.
This time, I have for you a tour of the Nauvoo Temple as it would have looked about the time the Saints Left Nauvoo, minus that whole winter part. Enjoy!
Continue reading “Nauvoo Temple Virtual Tour”
A Special Post about a Special Project.
I have something I want to show you. I can’t tell you where this is (so please no guessing in the comments,) but I can show you what I did.
Back in early 2019 I was contacted by an acquaintance on Facebook (has since become a good friend!) He was working on a project for a client that involved carving Bas Relief features to be used as trim work in a building the client was then in the process of construction. Now, he had done work like this for the client before, but he is a painter, not a sculptor. Don’t get me wrong, he is a very good sculptor! He just found he did not want to spend a week at a time making iteration after iteration just to have the client adjust each one.
So he thought to himself, I wonder if Brian could do them digitally? Surely it would be quicker, I wouldn’t have to do it, and the change process would be easier too?
So we did. We had quite the adventure coming up with a process that would work.
My friend designs a layout in 2 dimensions, and sends it to me. I then digitally sculpt the objects as separate shapes that just, kind of, intersect with each other. That way, we can move and bend and adjust individual elements until the design is finalized. Once approved, I combine it all down into one single solid manifold mesh. This mesh is then carved by a CNC machine into MDF or wood to make a master. The artist cleans up the master at that point, fixing any errors or issues we missed in the digital version.
A mold is created from the master, and an MDF like material is poured into the mold to make multiple copies, which are then returned to the artist for painting before he installs them in their final home.
My work
Following are images of my digital version, contrasted with the final pieces in place! As you can see, while all the pieces are tie together similar, they are still distinct and unique, such is the skill of my artist friend. I don’t always have the greatest images of the final pieces, so I apologize for the really low-resolution images.
There was one piece that I could not get a good image of, so I am only going to post my render of that.
There was another piece that was intended for smaller spaces. I believe It had to be left out of some or all of those spots because it just did not work in the space, so I will post a render of that too. It is essentially a much smaller version of the piece above.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable project for me. The good news is that He and I have been able to collaborate on another project, which I hope to be able to show in a couple of years. These things do take a while to complete!
Historic Video Series: Uintah Stake Tabernacle
Around the mid to late 1930s a large annex was added off the back of the Uintah Stake Tabernacle. I found a photo from 1930 where there is no annex yet. The earliest photo of the tabernacle with the extension had, much to my surprise, grounds that looked very much like they did when the tabernacle was first dedicated. The grass was, perhaps, in better shape, but the only trees were young, but the roads are still dirt.
So I cheated, and stole the grounds and terrain from my previous Uintah Tabernacle Model. No change.
All the Things!
Update all the (Moroni)Things!
Yesterday, you may have seen the exciting news that the Angel Moroni had been installed atop the spire of the Pocatello Idaho Temple (Version 6, Karl Quilter’s 1985 statue, in case you were wondering.)
Late last night, I made a quick effort to update all my Moroni stuff for you. This morning, that effort got a little longer as I fixed all the mistakes I made last night! But, be that as it may, today I give you updates to Know Your Moroni (2020 revision 3) and Moroni Faces East (2021, revision only one so far.)
I also added a whole NEW story to the story section as well, so look for that, too!
All of this is updated as of Yesterday, 10 March 2021, and will remain updated as of today until More Moroni related info comes out.
Which knowing my luck will be within the hour or so!
First Draft video for the Syracuse Utah Temple
This is just an attempt, mind you, but here is a first draft for the Syracuse Utah Temple. The only things I can be certain of are the portions visible in the Official render. so the rest of this is just a guess.
First Draft video for Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple
I finished my first draft model for the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple today. I hope you enjoy it!
In case you have not already heard, I have updated and re-released my ebook, Know Your Moroni: A Fieldguide to Angel Moroni Status. Check it out if you have not already! Click the image below:
Free Ebook! Know Your Moroni 2021
Out With the Old
Back in 2015 I released my first Ebook, a 167 page work about the Angel Moroni statues frequently used on Temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The book was inspired by a desire to see if I could identify who sculpted each of the statues then in use on the temple. After some investigation on the subject, I found that there was a lot of information on the internet, and it all basically said the same thing. I then found that it was all wrong.
I set out to correct the lack of information by writing what I thought then to be the definitive work on the subject, Know Your Moroni: A Fieldguide to Angel Moroni Statues.
A couple of years after it’s release, I learned that, while my information was better than what had come before, I still had it wrong in many spots.
So in 2018 I set out to do a small update to my book, intended to take a couple of months and result in the 2018 edition.
So here we are now in 2021. I have spent hours researching, looking up interviews, cross referencing info, losing data, finding it again, and generally re-writing the entire work from the ground up.
And after much consideration and thought,
It’s still free.
Update: Revision 3 released 11 March 2021.
In With the New
So here it is in all it’s reworked and redesigned glory. The new edition features expanded information, new artwork, and new sections.
The statue sections have now all been fully fleshed out with a history and description of not just the statue, but how it was made.
The biographies of the Sculptors have all been better researched, updated, corrected, and illustrated with examples of their other works.
The big news is that, with the help of the staff at the Church History Library, we were able to collect more accurate placement dates for most of the statues. Instead of having good information for 30-50 percent of the statues, there are firm dates for about 90 percent!
Download Now!
Or Learn more about the document below. Also find downloads of This book split into separate volumes for easier download below.
Read Online!
Or Learn more about the document below. Also find downloads of This book split into separate volumes for easier download below.
New Stories
The Stories section has been updated, most of the stories have been re-written, detail added and clarified, and new stories added:
2015
- The Start of a Tradition
- Tri-Temple Setting
- Gold Leaf and Angel Replacements
- Lightning Rods
- Earthquakes
- Tragedy and Return
- Moroni that Might Have Been: Washington D. C.
- Moroni that Might Have Been: Nauvoo
2021
- The Rise and Fall of a Tradition
- Tri-Temple Setting
- Lightning Rods
- Gold Leaf and Angel
- Earthquakes
- Tragedy and Return
- Moroni that Might Have Been: Mesa.
- Moroni that Might Have Been: Provo and Ogden
- Moroni that Might Have Been: Washington D. C.
- Moroni that Might Have Been: Nauvoo
- Statues Turned After Placement
- Rough Beginnings for Seattle
- Coincidental Angel Placements
- The Wooden Angel
- Angel Gets a Shoulder Angel
- Denver Placed and Replaced
- Moroni Speaks
- Moroni and Strobes
- Spheres and Pedestals
- Another Angel Flying
- Unveiling Ceremony Foiled
- Temple with the Living Angel
New Myths
Like the Stories Section, the Myths from the previous book, now in their own chapter, have been better researched, expanded, and added to:
2015
- Myth #1: All Temples must have an Angel Moroni Statue
- Myth #2: All Statues Must Face East
- Myth #3: All Statues Must Face Independence Missouri
- Myth #4: The White to Gold Angel
- Myth #5: Replaced Because of Bullet Holes
- Myth #6: Angels and Airplanes
- Myth #7: Moroni and Mexico City
2021
- Myth #1: All Temples must have an Angel Moroni Statue
- Myth #2: All Statues Must Face East
- Myth #3: All Statues Face the Same Direction as the Temple’s Front Doors.
- Myth #4: All Statues Must Face Independence Missouri
- Myth #5: The White to Gold Angel
- Myth #6: Angels and Airplanes
- Myth #7: Moroni and Mexico City
- Myth #8: Moroni Once Had Wings
- Myth #9: Nauvoo Statue ended up on Assembly Hall
- Myth #10: World’s Fair Moroni used on [Seattle] Temple
- Myth #11: Angel Moroni violates the Commandment against Graven Images
- Myth#12: Angel Moroni Stolen from top of Temple by Helicopter
- Myth #13: Moroni always marks the completion of the Exterior/1 year out to dedication
- Myth #14: Angel Statues Are Very Expensive
- Myth #15: Nauvoo Temple Moroni is the only one to face west because…
- Myth #16: The sign of the fallen trumpets
- Myth #17: Posthumous Addition
- Bonus: Myth #?: Angel Moroni Replaced Because of Bullet Holes
New Charts, Lists, and Graphs
Similarly, the Charts, Graphs and Lists section has been expanded, updated and corrected as well:
2015
- Identify Your Moroni
- Height Comparison
- Direction
- Statue by Sculptor
- Timeline
2021
- Identify Your Moroni
- Height Comparison
- Moroni Always Faces East (Except When He Doesn’t)
- Statue by Model
- Construction Timeline
- Moroni by Sculptor
- Chronological by Dedication
- Chronological by Placement
On top of all the reorganized chapters, the book now has an extensive set of appendices where a large portion of my research that did not fit in well with the other chapters is included. Information on other notable statues, Brief Biographies on Assistant Sculptors, collected information on Moroni as a man and an Angel, and collected information on Angels in General can be found in the large Appendices at the back of the book.
The Downside:
Instead of being 167 pages, the book now reaches a full 600 pages total. This is in large part to the artwork, appendices, and the large section listing every temple and every known statue event for that temple (previously an alphabetical reference as to which temple had which statue.)
For this reason, in addition to being able to download the whole book as a single file,
you can also download it as separate volumes, the first being al the bios stories and myths, the second being all the reference material.
Tallahassee Florida Temple (1st Draft)
A week and a half ago, the Church announced the location and render for the Tallahassee Florida Temple. Here is my first crack at making a model for the temple. Hope you enjoy!
Port Moresby Papua New Guinea Temple 1st draft
Four days ago I caught up with the Church for the Third time THIS YEAR when I finished my first draft video for the Port Moresby Papua New Guinea Temple. Today I am again behind by tow, with today’s release of the Antofagasta Chile Temple Render, and last nights release of the Harare Zimbabwe render.
So today, enjoy Port Moreseby Papua New Guinea. Next week there will be more to come.