Drawing on
Experience Pro Cyclist T.J. Eisenhart Crafts New IRONMAN Mural By Marianne Hamilton When artists attempt to depict athletes in motion, imagination often drives inspiration. For T.J. Eisenhart—who has just put the finishing touches on a brand new mural celebrating the sport of triathlon, its disciplines, and its competitions in the area—inspiration comes from firsthand knowledge.
As a professional cyclist and former “Youngest Rider” winner in the Tour of Utah, Eisenhart is intimately familiar with athletic competition at the highest level. As an artist whose works bring in tens of thousands of dollars, Eisenhart merges explosions of color with underlying messages of positivity. The combination uniquely qualified the Ivins resident to craft the IRONMAN imagery now covering the southern wall of the Hometown Lenders building at 61 North Main Street.
Growing up in Lehi, Utah, Eisenhart always believed his future would be spent on two wheels. On a family trip to Spain at the age of eight, he watched in wonder as Tour de France riders made their way up and over the Pyrenees Mountains. “I was hooked; I knew right then that I wanted to do something with bikes,” he recalled. “When I turned ten, I told my parents I wanted to turn pro. They said, ‘OK, let’s do it.’ They were always massively supportive.”
Though Eisenhart’s parents never doubted their son’s riding talents, his mom also deserves credit for nurturing his creative side. 18 www.sghealthandwellnessmagazine.com
“When I was super little, she’d give me a sketchbook to keep me quiet in church,” he laughed. “She always saw an artistic spark in me.” Eisenhart’s mom subsequently enrolled him in an intensive threehour class in liquid lead-spraying. Despite tears and protestations that he’d rather be outside playing, Eisenhart admitted that the class was a revelation. “I learned a ton about technique, layering, shadowing, highlights; I basically took a university-style class at the age of ten. But when I turned eighteen, I turned pro and moved to Europe. I made the choice to eat, sleep, and breathe cycling—nothing else.” Completely divorced from his art, Eisenhart said he suffered without knowing why. Lacking a method of self-expression and dealing with the type of eating disorder common among athletes striving for lighter, faster frames, Eisenhart slipped into a deep depression. On a phone call home, Donnalee Eisenhart suggested that art classes might renew her son’s spirits.
It was a pivotal moment in his life. During a winter semester at Dixie State University, Eisenhart’s experimentation with charcoals, oils, and other mediums rekindled his soul while nutrition classes put his physical health back on track. “I realized that art would let me do more than draw; I could go inside of myself and be expressive,” he noted. “I hadn’t realized that was such a huge part of my life.”
