BYU art professor paints prophets, illustrates books about the Obamas

Barrett has called BYU's visual arts department home for a while now, calling himself an "older" professor in the department. He has been the illustration program leader for 30 years.

He has imparted his knowledge to countless students, some of whom have gone on to establish prestigious careers at places such as DreamWorks and Disney Features.

For Barrett, making a work of art all starts with visualization.

"The creation part is the great part," Barrett said. "Just hypothesizing what you could come up with."

It was as important to Barrett then as it is now to make sure the figure in the drawing is recognizable, to "diminish the distance between the viewer and the content."

"I think every artist has to be relevant to their time," Barrett said.

And for Barrett, with his lengthy curriculum vitae, long list of clientele and "Distinguished Educator in the Arts" award by the Society of Illustrators, he is certainly enjoying living this philosophy every day.

"I think it's a great life," Barrett said.

Email: tackerman@desnews.com