‘Deep sense of love’: Hurricane visionary artist uses symbolism to remind others of their divine purpose

Written by Jessi Bang
January 19, 2023

HURRICANE — Stephanie Lindhardt is combining her own path of self-discovery, a cosmic love for Mother Nature and the gift of expression to create oil paintings that are out of this world.

Artist Stephanie Lindhardt poses next to her paintings inside her home in Hurricane, Utah, Jan. 11, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Artist Stephanie Lindhardt poses next to her paintings inside her home in Hurricane, Utah, Jan. 11, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News

“I don’t even know how to describe how serendipitously this all unfolded,” Lindhardt said about her art career. “It’s never been planned. I’ve just been saying yes to these projects when they’re handed to me, and it’s evolved and grown. I’m still catching my breath.”

Lindhardt said her art style is “Visionary,” which uses symbolism to show what lies beyond the boundaries and limitations of sight and words. Her sole purpose with each piece is to remind others of their divine purpose, connect them back to Mother Earth and inspire perspectives and ideas that will turn confusion and pain into visions of healing and purpose.

Growing up, Lindhardt said she loved to draw and won many art awards throughout grade school. Right after high school, she got married and went on to have four children. Outside of sketching here and there, she mostly gave up on her creative outlet. In 2015, she found herself in the midst of a divorce — an experience that turned her world upside down. 

“I basically went from my dad’s arms to my husband’s arms,” Lindhardt said about her marriage. “I didn’t have time to develop who I was as a person.”

"Revolution," a painting by Stephanie Lindhardt, is shown, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Stephanie Lindhardt, St. George News
“Revolution,” a painting by Stephanie Lindhardt, is shown, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Stephanie Lindhardt, St. George News

When she began to question the religious beliefs on which she had based her life, she realized it no longer rang true. As she continued to contemplate who she was and what she wanted, she turned to painting as a form of therapy.

“I take nothing back,” she said. “It’s just so interesting to be someone this whole chapter of your life — 30 years — then all of a sudden be like, I don’t know who I am anymore and starting all the way over again.”

One of the first paintings she completed, titled “Awareness,” features a human eye as the focal point, surrounded by jellyfish and the solar system, which represent the awakening and awareness she experienced during her divorce. Parts of the eye, as well as the jellyfish, feature glow-in-the-dark paint.

“When it’s dark and you can see the glow-in-the-dark paint, there’s a light there and you gravitate towards that,” Lindhardt said. “But then when you turn on the lights, there’s this whole awakening. I really like that it shows beauty in both the dark and the light.”

The second painting, “Intuition,” features a faint, almost hidden woman sitting in a meditative position. Lindhardt said it represents the empowering nature of intuition, which comes from the self and connection to the divine, as opposed to an outside source.

Landmarks of Washington County are shown in a painting by Stephanie Lindhardt, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Stephanie Lindhardt, St. George News
Landmarks of Washington County are shown in a painting by Stephanie Lindhardt, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Stephanie Lindhardt, St. George News

Admitting she’s generally shy and a bit of a “hermit,” Lindhardt said she began to post images of her paintings on Instagram with deep, thoughtful captions that represented the meaning behind each. After she received encouraging comments over a four-year span and an offer to showcase her art at her sister’s coffee shop — Lake Powell Espresso — she decided it was time to openly share her art with the world.

But that’s not where her creative outlet ended.

With continued love and appreciation for the earth in its original form, Lindhardt became a Certified Permaculture Designer in 2018. She designs “food forests” made for both humans and wildlife. Her own home property sits on .20 acres and currently has 17 fruit trees, 48 herbs and 16 species of berries, with a place to catch rainwater that flows through the property.

Extensive research is required to design a foodscape, which includes working heavily with Google Maps. Staring at maps for hours has inspired her to paint her own maps on canvas. Maps include the various elevations of Zion National Park summits and some of the most popular climbing spots in Washington County.

A painting by Stephanie Lindhardt is shown, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Stephanie Lindhardt, St. George News
A painting by Stephanie Lindhardt is shown, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Stephanie Lindhardt, St. George News

“I am an Earth lover,” she said. “I’m either painting and shaping paint into something, or I’m shaping Mother Earth into something. It’s super creative to have a blank slate.”

Lindhardt said she’s not afraid to paint over an entire piece if she doesn’t like how it’s forming and finds the entire process fascinating, fun and therapeutic. Finding new meaning in her own art as she evolves is something she says she values.

A large mural map of the Zion summits can be viewed at the Bumbleberry Inn in Springdale. To see available art by Stephanie Lindhardt, visit True North Float in St. George or Lake Powell Espresso in Page, Arizona. To shop available art online, visit her website or find her on TikTok and Instagram.

“I want to paint something, have people look at it and have it be a mirror,” she said. “Like a bounce-back where they’re inspired, or it triggers them in some way that is enlightening. All my art comes from a deep sense of love.”

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jessi Bang was born and raised in Utah and has a passion for nature and the great outdoors. She graduated from Kaplan University in California with a degree in criminal justice. She has extensive experience in marketing, content creation, photography and copywriting. You can find her showcasing outdoor adventures through her blog, “The Rambling Raccoon.” In her free time, she enjoys climbing mountains, trail running, working out and cuddling her two lovable pups.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews

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