This painting was a response to a trip (pilgrimage) I took to Nauvoo. It was a little sad to me to see how little is left of the bustling city of Joseph. What is there is lovely and well cared for, however. Behind the Jonathon Browning gunsmith shop I took several pictures on which this image is based. Eventually I combined twenty-four different pieces of reference to get the image to ring true to Nauvoo the Beautiful city of Joseph’s day. The woman (who is expecting) stands next to a little fenced off area of an infant’s grave. It is fascinating to me to think of a time when loved ones were buried close, often right in the backyard. What a constant reminder caring for these gravesites must have given our ancestors of the plan of salvation. ~Lynde Mott
