Ever Onward by Joseph Brickey

About this Image:The tragic yet inspiring struggle of the Martin and Willie handcart companies can serve as a parable of our own mortal journey. This scene depicts a moment when the clouds break, offering a glimpse of Heaven’s warmth while they yet continue to toil in bitter conditions. In the painting the windswept pines seem to point the way and beckon them onward, suggesting that the same forces that cause our extremity are often those that bring us closer to God. John Jaques, who lost his own child on the trek, later said, When the Lord calls His Saints to do anything, if they will rely upon Him and do the best they can, He will fit the back to the burden and make everything bend to accomplish His purposes.About the Artist:JOSEPH F. BRICKEY is an award-winning artist in drawing, painting, and sculpture who currently resides in Orem, Utah, with his wife and seven children. Born and raised in Utah, he has studied art throughout the United States and Europe, pursuing the techniques