Reflections Of Her Art

By Barbara Marshall

Through the month of September, Artists’ Gallery is featuring the retrospective exhibit, “Reflections from the Past to the Present” by. Arlene Thayn.

Her paintings present a chronicle of an evolving artist over the past 50 years. A reception in her honor will be held from 5-7:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 14.

Thayn is a native of Utah, born and raised in Salt Lake City with three brothers. She discovered at a young age that she was artistically gifted. As a child she dabbled in art and was encouraged to continue by her father and mother. Thayn later married and raised a family of seven children. She and her husband moved to St. George with their youngest son in 1985.

Thayn structured her schooling around a background of the arts, drama and business. In high school she studied under Jack Virgos and won several awards for her earlier work. She was influenced by a neighbor, Arnold Frieberg, who advised her in art. At the University of Utah she majored in Fine Art with a minor in drama. She received her commercial art degree in illustration from Utah Technical College in 1985.

She has studied with such artists as Kent Walls, Osrel Alfred and, through the Scottsdale Artists’ School, with Hemy Caselli, Robert Abbot and Harley Brown. In addition to these, she learned from Douglas Jordan, Joe Lema, Allen Reinholt, Ralph Huddlestone, L’Dean Trueblood, Del Parsons, Milford Zornes and china painter Olive Ohler, Dwight Eberly, Frank Covino and Floyd Breinholt.

Thayn has won many awards, ribbons and medals for her artwork in local, national and international competitions. She is talented in many mediums including, oil, pencil, pen, watercolor, china painting and pastels.

She is a past member of Intermountain Society of Artists, where she served as a photographer and historian. She served as secretary for the Southwestern Arts Council and Color Country Art Association.

She is a co-founder of the Artists’Co-op Gallery, now known as the Artists’ Gallery, originally located in
Ancestor Square in St. George.