Joseph Ponders in the Pit

This is not a typical project for me to blog about. Lately I’ve been rather captivated by paper cutting. I created this piece for the 11th International Art Competition of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I’ve always wanted to submit something for the competition, and the theme inspired this tunnel book. It’s done well in the competition so far… I made it through the first round of jurying. I created the general design in Illustrator and then cut out the sheets by hand with an Exacto knife. I also built the box. Here is the description I submitted with the piece:

“Thousands of years ago, Joseph, son of Jacob, began dreaming unusual dreams. He dreamed his brother’s sheaves of wheat stood up and bowed to his. He dreamed that the sun, moon, and 11 stars (representing his brothers and parents) made obeisance to him. With visions like these, the future must have looked pretty bright! And then young Joseph found himself trapped in a pit, his own brothers responsible for his capture, some even hoping to kill him. This betrayal must have been especially bitter and confusing considering the visions God had given him of his own future glory. How did Joseph keep believing in God’s promises when his life was headed in the opposite direction? Perhaps it is no coincidence that wheat, stars, the sun, and the moon might have actually been visible from his place in the pit. Perhaps this was one of God’s tender mercies, helping Joseph know that his promised blessings could not be taken by his brothers. In any case, we know for certain that Joseph kept believing. And if he could find faith in a brilliant future from the depths of a pit, we can too.
The first 10 pages of the tunnel book form the walls of Joseph’s pit and represent the 10 brothers who imprisoned him. The sun, moon, and eleven stars in the background represent Joseph’s father, mother, and brothers. Three of the stars are slightly bigger than the rest, representing the privileges later earned by Judah, Benjamin, and Levi to father Jesus Christ, build a temple, and hold the priesthood. “