{"id":665,"date":"2011-02-08T09:46:27","date_gmt":"2011-02-08T09:46:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15bytes12\/2011\/02\/08\/lee-and-joe-bennion\/"},"modified":"2025-11-10T00:00:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T07:00:09","slug":"lee-and-joe-bennion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/lee-and-joe-bennion\/","title":{"rendered":"Lee and Joe Bennion"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"\"\"<\/a>images by Bill Fulton<\/p>\n

Imagine the leap of faith (and determination) it would take for a young couple with three children to raise, to see if they could survive on income from their creativity. That\u2019s what Lee and Joe Bennion did, supporting each other in their work as painter and potter. Their choice to live in rural Spring City made it more of a challenge, but they knew that was where they wanted to live \u2013 both were raised in the countryside and cherish their memories of that time. After many years of hard work their dream has just about come true.<\/p>\n

They are empty-nesters now and relatively free to pursue artistic bents. Lee has a wonderful new studio near their house, and Joe has the well-known Horseshoe Mountain Pottery on Main Street. Although Lee is represented by Dave Ericson in Salt Lake City and does quite well, and Joe occasionally gets big commissions (like a set of 100 place settings for Sundance Resort), the couple doesn’t take anything for granted. Lee\u2019s mother (of the Udall political family) had a home-made remedy for dry, cracked skin, which Lee has turned into a product called \u201cMom\u2019s Stuff\u201d which is sold at the Pottery. Joe works as a river guide in the warmer months. Both of them love being outdoors. Right outside Lee\u2019s studio is a corral with her horses. They are planning to do the next river trip together \u2013 she\u2019s good at \u201creading the river\u201d and attending to logistical details, and Joe asserts his right to be the chef for the guests as well as leading the expedition.<\/p>\n