Linda Curley Christensen: A Life in Art, Now in Print

Few artists have shaped the visual landscape of faith and beauty as profoundly as Linda Curley Christensen. With more than 36 temple murals worldwide, major works in the LDS Conference Center in Salt Lake City, and paintings housed in sacred and public spaces across the globe, Linda’s artistry has touched millions.

Now, for the first time, her remarkable career and body of work are celebrated in one place: a stunning coffee table book titled Artwork in Print, featuring 92 pages of breathtaking paintings. This collection invites admirers—longtime and new alike—into the heart of Linda’s vision.

Early Days: Learning to See

Linda’s path as an artist was not a straight line but a journey of discipline, discovery, and resilience. She recalls her youthful stubbornness in school art classes, resistant to instruction and unwilling to let others touch her work. “My independence rendered me unteachable and blind,” she reflects.

Yet those early struggles became the groundwork for her eventual mastery. As she grew, her parents instilled in her an appreciation for the natural world, even when at first she found the desert barren and uninspiring. With time, Linda learned to look closer—to wait for the right light, the fleeting moment when ordinary landscapes reveal their hidden beauty. This awakening to “see” became one of her life’s defining quests and continues to shape her art today.

Education and Mentorship

Over the years, Linda studied under some of the most influential painters of her time, including Paul Forester, Floyd Brienholt, Harrison Groutage, Ken Baxter, Jim Norton, and Jim Wilcox. These mentors gave her tools and techniques, but perhaps more importantly, they encouraged her unique perspective and discipline.

Her private tutelage with Paul Forester became especially transformative. She would often bring paintings for critique, balancing her artistic development with raising small children. When she nervously presented her award-winning piece Midday Naptime, Forester studied it in silence before remarking simply, “I like everything you do.” That affirmation remains one of her most cherished awards.

Awards and Recognition

Linda’s career has been marked by accolades, including the prestigious National Gertrude Fogelson Art Award and signature status in Oil Painters of America. She was also honored among Utah’s Top 100 Artists.

Yet for Linda, the most meaningful recognition is not plaques or ribbons but the fact that her work graces the walls of homes, churches, and institutions around the world. “The greatest award of all,” she says, “is that others consider my viewpoint of worth to adorn their walls.”

Sacred Commissions and Global Impact

Perhaps Linda’s most extraordinary contribution lies in her work for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Her murals are part of over 60 temples worldwide, from Accra, Ghana, to The Hague, Netherlands, to Brisbane, Australia. Each piece transforms sacred spaces into immersive experiences of light, landscape, and spirit.

In addition, her art can be found in the LDS Conference Center, the South Visitors Center on Temple Square, and even in civic spaces such as Draper City Hall and the Springville Museum of Art. These works stand as a testament not only to her technical skill but also to her ability to translate faith and reverence into visual form.

Family and Studio Life

Behind Linda’s prolific career stands a strong support system—her husband Greg and their twelve children. Far from setting aside her artistic dreams while raising a family, Linda embraced both roles. She often painted while her children played, joking that each of them “teethed on brushes.”

Today, her family remains involved in her creative world, helping with framing, marketing, and encouragement. Her Pricklyrock Studio and Gallery in Wallsburg, Utah, is open by appointment, offering visitors an intimate glimpse into the environment where her vision comes to life.

Artist Statement: The Desire to Share Beauty

Linda describes her artistic drive as both personal and transcendent. For her, painting is about capturing light, color, and line in ways that evoke the divine.

“The thrill of capturing a stunning ray of light, line, or color is a powerful feeling of triumph, like participating in creation and being able to recognize ‘it is good.’ … This desire to share part of me, that which I value and love, becomes my gift to you.”

Her paintings invite viewers to slow down, to look closer, and to recognize beauty where it might otherwise go unnoticed.

Artwork in Print: A Collection to Treasure

Linda’s new book, Artwork in Print, distills her decades-long career into a single, beautifully bound volume. Measuring 11 ½ x 11 ½ inches, this coffee table book is as much a work of art as the paintings it contains. Across 92 pages, readers can experience the range and depth of Linda’s vision—from luminous landscapes to sacred murals to intimate, reflective scenes.

This collection is more than an art book; it is a celebration of a lifetime dedicated to seeing, creating, and sharing beauty. Whether you are a collector of fine art, a lover of LDS temple history, or simply someone seeking inspiration, Artwork in Print offers a window into Linda’s extraordinary world.

Why This Book Belongs in Your Home

• A Piece of History: Own a curated selection of works by an artist whose contributions span continents and sacred spaces.

• A Source of Inspiration: Display the book in your living room or study as a daily reminder of the beauty in light, nature, and faith.

• A Meaningful Gift: Perfect for families, art lovers, or anyone who has been moved by the serenity of temple art.

• An Heirloom: With its timeless design and high-quality printing, this book is crafted to be treasured for generations.

Order Your Copy

Whether you’ve admired Linda Curley Christensen’s temple murals in person or are discovering her work for the first time, Artwork in Print is a chance to experience her artistry in an intimate and lasting way.

Order your copy today and bring the beauty of Linda’s vision into your home.

Closing Thought

Linda once reflected on her journey as a painter with these words:
“Opening my eyes to see the beauty that surrounds me, has been a quest and a challenge of the most rewarding kind.”

With Artwork in Print, she invites all of us to join her in that quest—to pause, to see, and to recognize that beauty is always waiting for the right light.