The Lord Will Carry Us Forth

Honorable Mention in the 2020 Book of Mormon Central Art Contest.

 

In Ether 1:38, Jared asks his brother to inquire of the Lord if He will preserve their families and give them a new land for their inheritance. He said, "And who knoweth but the Lord will carry us forth into a land which is choice above all the earth?" The idea for this painting came to my mind while praying. I saw tumultuous waves of the sea, done in a stained-glass style, with the Jaredite barges being tossed upon the waves. Within the barges shine the 16 stones which the Lord touched for their trip to the new land. Watercolor and ink. 

 

After years of folk art and acrylics, Kristen Openshaw began using watercolor around three years ago during some severe trials her family was going through. The act of putting water to paper and paint to water carried her through her three daughters' several miscarriages, a daughter's cancer diagnosis, her father-in-law's death, a job change, and a year of school. She realized that she doesn't always have control over how watercolor turns out, just like life, but it can still be beautiful.