One of the most artistic families to have lived in Malad will be featured at the 9th annual Evening of the Arts.  The late Lois Price Hess, her daughter, the late Rosemary Hess and her son Don Lee Hess have shared their artistic talents with Malad Valley for over 75 years.

Lois Lorraine Price Hess was born in McCammon and graduated from McCammon High School. She married Marion J. Hess of Malad in 1939. Writing poetry was her first artistic love until she took up drawing and oil painting. Although she created many conventional and pastel oil paintings, her favorite projects (and the ones for which she is most remembered) were large paintings for backdrops for stage plays. 

Her large backdrops were used for church road shows, Gold and Green Balls and high school proms. She is probably best known for the 12’ x 20’ canvas murals she created for the Malad Centennial Pageant to show the history of Malad. To paint these large masterpieces, she would hang two or three bed sheets on the clothesline.  She would draw the basic outlines of the focus of the picture, transfer the drawings to canvas, and then get out cans of spray paint, finishing up with all sizes of brushes. 

She taught several people in Malad how to draw and paint in oils. She and Marion had five children: Marvin, Rosemary, Don Lee, Kathleen and LaReta. Lois died in 1991.

As the oldest daughter in the Hess family, Rosemary became a talented oil painter as she learned from her mother, who was also her best friend. Rosemary graduated from Malad High School and then from Brigham Young University with a degree in home economics.  She taught school in Leadore, Idaho; Douglas, Arizona; and Wendover, Utah. After retiring from Logan Regional Hospital, she moved back to Malad. Rosemary loved painting, needlework, quilting and cooking. Her porcelain dolls and paintings filled her home. Her oil paintings were known for their careful detail and realism. Rosemary died in 2001.

Don Lee admits that he took up oil painting very late in life after watching his mother and sister paint. He enjoys painting landscapes, nature and wildlife. Don Lee graduated from Malad High School, where he was a student body officer and participated in track, baseball and football.  He served an LDS mission in Southern Australia, where he learned to appreciate the artistic talents of the people and the beauty of the country.  He graduated from Brigham Young University and immediately left for California to complete his military basic training for the U.S. Army. Of his art, Don Lee says, “I’ve never claimed an exceptional talent in painting or anything else for that matter, but it’s worth my efforts to be involved in positive and worthwhile applications of life’s arts.”

The Evening of the Arts will provide a rare opportunity to see some of the oil paintings of Lois, Rosemary and Don Lee Hess. Other artists to be featured that evening are Bob Crowther, Annie and Cody Brower, Tony McClain and Linda Lundquist. The students of Dianne Adams, 3rd, 4th and 5th grade art students of Christy Oja and Malad Middle and High School art students of Krystal Tavoian Fonnesbeck will also display their works of art.  The culinary arts students of Sarah Robbins will provide refreshments.

Admission to the event is free, but attendees will be able to bid on unique baskets of gifts, gardening supplies, works of art, restaurant coupons, vacation packages and home décor.  Doug Adams has donated one of his unique bells; raffle tickets for the bell are available from Hospital Foundation Board members: Roxanne Albretsen, Dianne Adams, Doug Adams, Kallie Blaisdell, Paula Davis, Sandy Facer, Kathy Hubbard, Angie Ihler, Lynn Moore, Caleen Pickett, Jean Thomas and John Williams.

All proceeds from the Evening of the Arts will go toward remodeling patient rooms at the hospital. The event will be on Thursday, April 16, from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. in the Malad High School gym.