Bible Story Depicted
In Painting Of Stone
The unearthing of a small agate
stone at Horse Canyon, California,
and the subsequent painting of
it by Kodiak’s own artist, Paul
Bond, are the series of events that
have transpired over the past few
years, which have led to several
exhibits and the painting being
used as a cover on the May issue
of Gems and Minerals.
The painting, entitled “The Hand
of God,” is unique in itself, as you
will see from the accompanying
picture. It is the artists conception
of what he saw in the 2 inch by
3 inch stone, dug up by his mother
and her husband, near the site
where reposes the bones of pre
historic horses.
The stone, which depicts Christ’s
life on earth, with Mary and Jo
seph, Christ in the cradle, through
death to the right hand of God,
was found by Mr. and Mrs. Wal
ter Smith of Blythe, California, in
1953. In Mrs. Smith’s own words,
is described the steps taken, fol
lowing the finding of the stone,
to bring out more clearly, its awe
inspiring story. She says: “Impelled
to polsh the stone immediately but
lacking equipment, we bought em
ery paper of various grits and
roughed, sanded, and polished it
by hand. As the stone began to
take on luster, Mary kneeling at
the feet of Jesus and clinging to
His robe was revealed to us; then
Joseph.”
Mrs. Smith then goes on to say
it was not until two years later,
that she and her husband, by the
aid of her artist son, were able to
see all that was depicted in this
small stone. Wanting more people
to see the Biblical message con
tained in the stone they decided to
send it to Paul, who they felt could
convey in an enlarged painting
some of the story they knew was
there.
It was almost a year after they
had sent the stone, that the paint
ing was completed. Since then it
has been exhibited at the River
side County Fair in February of
this year, and will again be dis
played at the Calforna Federation
Show in Fresno, California, June
22-24.
The artist’s description of his
work is as follows: “I have placed
Mary as though clinging to the
robes of Jesus, preferring to let
the beholders paint the hands. Jo
seph is painted with the infant
Jesus: for I see in the stone a
montage of Christ from the cradle,
through death, to the right hand
of God. The trailing robes of Je
sus are modified in tone and color
to give solidity to the body.
“As I see it, the two hands on
the shoulders of Jesus are those
of the Reaper lifting the Messiah
to life ever after. And the Lord is
guiding His only begotten Son to
His rightful place by*His right
side while his Angels hover in the
clouds above.”
The Smiths had not seen all that
the artist had. They admitted not
having seen the Lord in the stone,
the Angels, or the infant Jesus.
When they received the painting,
Mrs. Smith said: “Our vision had
been faulty, not bis. So unerringly
did he direct us to the Lord we
had doubted, the Angels and the
infant Jesus in the stone, that it
was as if he had torn a veil from
our eyes.”
Paul Bond has achieved consid
erable success, and is noted for his
painting of Alaska scenes and
more particularly scenes around
Kodiak, and also portrait work.
He first came here in 1941, as
a member of the United States
Army, and was a sergeant in
charge of the Army’s paint shop
on the Base. After his discharge,
the lure of this Western Alaskan
city brought him back. His dream
was to paint Alaska as it is today.
He spent five years on the Naval
Station as a sign painter, but re
cently quit his job there and has
opened his own shop in town. He
is now devoting considerable of his
time to the realizaton of his dream.
Bond spent an interval of two
years at the Chicago Academy of
Commercial Art, in 1948 and 1949,
after which he again returned to
Kodiak.
The local artist has won prizes
for his work, locally and at art
exhibits in connection with the
Anchorage Fur Rendezvous.
Prior to entry into the service
Bond worked for such big name
commercial art firms as Foster and
Kleiser and Outdoor.
Paul was practically born in a
suitcase. His parents were actors.
His mother was a movie star and
played opposite such stars of the
silent movies as William S. Hart
and Buck Jones. He recalls lean
and happy years between engage
ments and the more prosperous
times when his parents appeared
on radio. His early days were times
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