The Holladay Arts Council has selected literary poet Monte Hanks and realism painter JoAn Coon to be recognized for their talent and skill in the Holladay art community.

Monte Hanks

A typing class at Olympus High School might have saved Hanks’ life. When he was drafted in 1968 and trained as an artillery crewman for the Vietnam War, his typing skills led to a reassignment as a clerk-typist. Artillery usually has lower casualty rates than frontline infantry, but crewmen still operate near the front, whereas clerk typists are typically stationed farther behind the lines.

“I learned to type at Olympus High School,” Hanks said. “I took the class because I thought it would be easy, but in the end, it may have saved my life. I came home in one piece and consider myself blessed. Our base camp was 11 miles from the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), and rockets/mortars often flew overhead with some occasionally hitting our base along with all kinds of ‘fun’ stuff. Thankfully, my job was to type up orders during the day and guard our perimeter at night.”

Like many veterans returning home, Hanks faced significant challenges transitioning from war zones to civilian life, often experiencing disappointment, anger and periods of deep despair.

After taking a year off to recalibrate, he enrolled at the University of Utah for two quarters. When he realized college was not a good fit, he worked for his father in the butcher and

restaurant equipment supply industry and then drifted in and out of several other jobs just trying to survive. Eventually, he returned to school, but this time with the focus and determination to earn a degree.

“I went to Salt Lake Community College and ended up with an Associate’s degree in Ethnic Minority Health and Human Services,” Hanks said. “Then I finished my college experience at an accredited college out of California earning a Bachelor of Arts in Business.”

A poetry-focused journaling assignment in an English literature class sparked Hanks’ interest in writing. Over the next decade, in the red rock landscapes of Southern Utah, solitude enveloped Hanks and encouraged introspection supporting the development and ability to find his writing voice.

“I considered the time I spent in Southern Utah a healing journey for me,” Hanks said. “It was a peaceful, quiet place where I could finally hear myself think. That’s when the poetry began to come to me. I’m not sure where it came from, but it just started to flow, and eventually I found my voice.”

For 30 years, Hanks worked with people experiencing homelessness in Salt Lake City. 

He spent 26 years working at the Fourth Street Clinic. He cofounded The Inn Between, helping create a specialized hospice for the homeless. First and foremost, he spent decades being present for homeless men and women, offering resources, kindness and above all, hope.

Recently, Hanks retired and has returned to writing poetry. He has written two volumes of

beautifully illustrated poems. These works evoke the emotions associated with untouched

landscapes, vivid colors and the unique serenity of Southern Utah. Hanks engaged the

homeless, helping their voices emerge through themes of daily struggle with poverty,

discrimination, domestic violence and addiction. Primarily, the poignant narrative voice of a young man returning from the Vietnam War can be heard as he navigates painful memories, tempered by gratitude and hope.

JoAn Coon

From instructing to creating, Coon closed the classroom door for the final time after a successful 30-year career in education. She then stepped into a world where the school bell's rush has faded into a rising tide of inspiration and creativity.

Coon’s childhood unfolded beneath the shadow of the Oquirrh Mountains in Tooele, before life led her to Stansbury Park, where she raised her family and became a career educator. She taught sixth grade, served as an elementary school administrator, and was the Stansbury Area Director for the Tooele County School District, overseeing local schools. But all of that was about to change.

“About two years ago, I retired and left a career I had enjoyed and decided to move to Holladay to be closer to my children and grandchildren,” Coon said. “Retirement has also allowed me to spend more time creating art—a passion that had to wait until 60-hour-a-week school days were behind me.”

Art is at the core of the Holladay community. The city is a thriving cultural scene with many artists living within the city, supported by a dedicated arts council.

"I learned from several art friends that Holladay has an active art community and several opportunities for exhibiting my paintings,” Coon said. “I haven’t been disappointed!”

Coon has displayed her art in the Holladay Fine Art Show and the Tiny Art Show, both organized by the Holladay Arts Council.  

“Tiny art allows an artist to capture intimate moments,” Coon said. “Creating smaller paintings is both rewarding and challenging. The reward is completing a painting in less time than it takes to complete a larger piece. The challenge is focusing on what is essential to catch the viewer's eye.”

Her miniature piece “Pink Petals” transports the viewer across the pond to the English countryside, where the delicate fragrance of freshly bloomed flowers encapsulates the traveler.

“‘Pink Petals’ was painted from a reference photo I took while traveling through England and Scotland,” Coon said. “Cottage homes in the local villages often had small gardens beautifully arranged and blooming with color. The grayed wooden trellis on the pink cottage wall was covered in shades of pink, peach and orange blooms. Rather than painting the entire cottage and garden, a section of the flowered trellis was perfect for a tiny art painting.”

Coon works primarily in watercolor. She has been painting with other artists at The Petersen Art Center every Saturday for over 20 years. 

Harold Petersen, the founder of the art center, was a renowned Utah watercolor artist and mentor to Coon. She studied under Petersen for 10 years and now carries on teaching adult students at the center the principles and structured approach to painting that he pioneered. 

“I love the magic that happens on paper with transparent paints and water,” Coon said. “The medium is very versatile. Artist are able to adapt the paints to their style with a wide range of techniques.”

As a signature member of the Utah Watercolor Society (UWS), she has received awards for her watercolor and colored pencil paintings from the Utah State Fair, the Utah Watercolor Society, the Intermountain Society of Artists, and the Utah Division of Arts & Museums traveling exhibition. Coon received the Merchant Award from the UWS for her watercolor painting “Summer Blooms in Ketchikan.”

Coon mentioned how much she enjoyed “Mona’s Eyes” a fiction novel by Thomas Schlesser because she has visited many of the Paris fine art museums mentioned in the book, such as the Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay. However, her favorite is the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. It houses the world's largest collection of Van Gogh's paintings and drawings.

“Ever since I was little, I’ve been impressed with the Impressionists,” Coon said. “The Van Gogh Museum is one of my favorites because it is such a great size. You can walk slowly and take time to reflect and contemplate on his entire artistic works.”

Due to renovations at Holladay City Hall, the Holladay Artist of the Month monthly art display will be relocated to Four Lemons – Art within Reach, hosted by owner Nanette Amis. An artist pop-up event recognizing the Holladay Artists of the Month will be held during the first Friday of each month. The community is invited to the inaugural pop-up event on Friday, June 5, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Four Lemons will host a collection of Coon’s paintings, a poetry reading by Hanks and light refreshments. Paintings will be available for purchase, and a book signing will be held.

Four Lemons is located at 4850 S. Highland Drive. For more information, contact Holladay Arts and Culture Manager Megan Attermann 801-527-2677 or email at [email protected].