Passing of Arnold Friberg an American Treasure

It is only fitting that American artist Arnold Friberg, who passed away on July 1, is remembered during weekend of the 4th of July.  Probably his greatest and most widely distributed work of art was that of George Washington kneeling in prayer at Valley Forge in behalf of our fledgling nation in a time of desperation.  I took the following from Deseret News:

The painting "Prayer at Valley Forge" is based (as per Arnold Friberg) on the following story by Isaac Potts a resident of Valley Forge:

"What was that?" I inquired. "Do you see that woods, and that plain?" It was about a quarter of a mile from the place we were riding. "There," said he, "laid the army of Washington. It was a most distressing time of ye war, and all were for giving up the ship but that one good man. In that woods," pointing to a close in view, "I heard a plaintive sound, as of a man at prayer. I tied my horse to a sapling and went quietly into the woods and to my astonishment I saw the great George Washington on his knees alone, with his sword on one side and his cocked hat on the other. He was at Prayer to the God of the Armies, beseeching to interpose with his Divine aid, as it was ye Crisis and the cause of the country, of humanity, and of the world."

Both Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush had this painting and took inspiration from it.

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will best remember Arnold Friberg for his series of Book of Mormon paintings.  They illustrate the significant events in the Book of Mormon.  There is a very good chance that anyone possessing a copy of the Book of Mormon with illustrations, is familiar with Mr. Friberg's work.

Arnold Friberg was commissioned by Cecil B. DeMille to make a series of conceptual paintings in the development of the "Ten Commandments."  His work influenced the costuming of the actors and development of the sets used in the "Ten Commandments."  Cecil B. DeMille had developed a close friendship with Bro. Friberg and with President David O. McKay in the course of the production of his epic film. At the invitation of Pres. McKay, DeMille spoke at BYU in May 1957, where he rather surprised the student body by delivering a masterful address on the purpose of God’s laws.  It was at this forum that DeMille declared,“We cannot break the Ten Commandments. We can only break ourselves against them.”

A list of some of Friberg's better known works can be found at Wikipedia.

For those who didn't know...

My wife, Judy, is an artist...and not just a good artist. She is a very good artist. While we still lived in Hawaii, and while I was working for the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association or HSPA (now the Hawaiian Agricultural Research Center or HARC), she created these two paintings that presently hang in my office. People who walk into my office and see the painting of sugarcane tasseling in the Maunawili Valley on Oahu, are amazed when I tell them they are looking at a painting and not a picture. For those with Google Earth, to see the location that inspired the painting, cut & paste coordinates: 21 20 50 N 157 46 08 W into the search box. The cane fire painting was created from a photo taken at Oahu Sugar Company during a controlled sugarcane burn just prior to harvest. Judy's signature is visible at the lower left corner of both paintings. Judy has several other paintings, some that have been given away to family, at school reunions, etc. I think you would agree that, had she pursued it, she could have made a living being an artist.

Cane Tassels at Sunset

I took these photos of sugarcane in a flowering mode at our breeding station in Houma in the late fall timeframe, not all in the same year. I tried to make one of them a little bit artsy. If you have a strong preference for any one of them in particular, let me know. Flowering is not a desirable trait to the grower, but is essential to the breeder in order to make crosses and start the arduous task of identifying superior progeny.

Sugarcane bagasse turned into Hallmark cards

An employee at our workplace brought a Hallmark card that she bought from Wal-Mart. No big deal, until she showed us it was made out of sugarcane bagasse (the fibrous residue left after squeezing the juice out of the sugarcane stalks to make sugar). So I checked it out at the Hallmark newsroom. Sure enough, Hallmark has an "earth friendly" line of greeting cards. Where does Hallmark get its paper? Perhaps The Sugarcane Paper Company, Inc. in Panama City, FL. Perhaps somewhere else.

Bagasse has many uses. Bagasse is the primary fuel source at most sugarcane mills. It produces enough heat energy to supply the needs of the mill, and, in some cases, electricity is sold to the public, such as at Florida Crystals’ Okeelanta Cogeneration Plant. It has been used in the building industry as an ingredient in particle board, acoustic tiles, etc. With molasses added, it has also been used as a bulking agent in animal feed. It has also been used as an ingredient in compost for landscaping. While living in Hawaii, I used it as a compost ingredient when I was commercially growing "organic" turfgrass sod on black plastic. Enter the keywords "bagasse biodegradable" into a search engine and you'll be amazed at the range of products that can be purchased that are made out of bagasse.