By Elizabeth Cullimore
Thousands of tulips bloom in the Harold B. Lee Library in the form of oil and water color paintings.
'Not Arrayed Like One of These,' an art exhibition featuring the work of Sarah Lee Richards, displays 25 colorful paintings of red tulips.
'I''ve always had a thing for tulips, especially red ones,' Richards said.
Richards said for this exhibit she wanted to take a narrow focus and have people see something from many different viewpoints.
'I enjoy the way she approaches the same subject from lots of different angles,' said Aric Bills, 24, a recent graduate in linguistics from Spanish Fork. 'I think it''s an interesting way to look at a color study.'
Richards, who graduated from BYU in 1996 with a bachelor''s degree in illustration, said she takes a sketchbook with her wherever she goes. Instead of keeping a journal with words in it, she draws a self-portrait at the end of the day that shows her mood and emotions for that day.
'For me, painting is a better way to remember things than words are,' she said.
Many of Richards'' paintings were inspired by events and specific feelings in her life. 'Willie''s Tulips,' one of Richards'' tulip paintings, was named after her favorite singer Willie Nelson.
'I listen to Willie Nelson when I paint, so it would be a crying shame not to mention him,' Richards said.
The largest painting in the exhibit, 'Las Tulipanes,' is on loan from the Springville Art Museum''s permanent collection.
'Tulips,' the smallest painting in the exhibit, won an art contest sponsored by The New Era. She said the winnings from the contest helped pay for her education.
'I think that Sarah''s reasons for painting tulips are as equally beautiful as the tulips themselves,' said Julie Williamsen, one of the curators of the exhibit on the art and library committee. 'I really like the red colors and that it is one subject done so many different ways.'
'I think a painting should stand without having words needed to describe it,' Richards said. 'I hope when people see the paintings they are able to have feelings and memories of their own.'
Aside from painting tulips, Richards said she paints a little bit of everything.
'Right now I am into painting houses, poppies and landscapes,' Richards said.
She also paints portraits of people and murals on walls.
'I hope that I can influence people to at least stop and notice something,' Richards said.
The exhibit runs through July 8 in the Auditorium Gallery of the Harold B. Lee Library.