Memphis Tennessee Temple Drawing

The Memphis Tennessee Temple is one of a series of detailed pencil drawings and paintings created by the artist Chad S. Hawkins. In 1989, at the age of seventeen, Chad started this unique temple series, becoming the original LDS artist to involve hidden spiritual images in his artwork.

“As with all of my temple works of art,” comments the artist, “I include, in addition to the temple, appropriate hidden spiritual images within each drawing. My goal was to include images that would encourage both the adults and the rising generation of young people to participate in sacred temple ordinances. For the adults, I placed at the temple’s entrance a hidden image of the Savior with his arms extended, welcoming all who are worthy to attend the temple as often as occasion permits. To remind the youth of the opportunity of performing baptisms within the temple, I drew four oxen in the landscape shrubbery beneath the baptistry room of the temple, exactly where the actual baptismal font is positioned within the temple.”