Note: All unframed prints will come rolled in a tube. Please inquire at clarkkelleyprice@gmail.com if you would like your canvas print mounted or gallery wrapped.
About this Art:
During a very difficult and stressful time in the early days of the church, the prophet Joseph Smith once stated, "Shall we not go on in so great cause? Forward, brother, and not backwards" - or something to that effect and I was always moved by that statement. By the prophet, of all people, who had to wade through much trial and tribulation himself - and yet he encouraged all the leaders and all the members of the church to go forward and not backward. Or, in other words not to back out of the gospel, but to go forward in the gospel - that’s where the blessings and the answers would come. Not by leaving the church but by staying with it and helping to move it forward. One day I was walking down the road, praying about an idea that I could paint for the Church International Art Contest held in Salt Lake City. I had to come up with an idea and as I was walking along, I could envision the spirit of the prophet Joseph Smith in the sky, looking down upon the Saints as they struggled westward through the mud and the hardship of the trail through Iowa, and I could see some of the pioneers pushing and pulling their wagons through the mud, and I could hear him saying those words to all of them: "Shall we not go on so great cause?" Ifelt in my heart that’s what I should try to paint for that contest and that’s what I did. Over the next few weeks, as I was painting the sunset I could see or feel that the Salt Lake Temple could be in the sunset as a symbol of their faith, and so I painted it in there too. It’s not very obvious, but if you look close, you can see the spires of the temple in the sunset and the prophet Joseph is pointing Westward toward the temple and holding the Book of Mormon by his heart. It inspired me and I could see the words of President John Taylor written on the side of the wagon "the kingdom of God or nothing” and so I painted those words on the canvas covering of the wagon. I liked it there so I left it that way. It was a time of great emotional inspiration to me and the painting was accepted into the show. We’re all on the trail and sometimes it gets pretty muddy and hard going and we need all the inspiration we can get, I hope this painting can be an inspiration for many people to come.