Carrying Jacob and Joseph

Technique & Style

Figurative, Painting

Figures

Jacob, Sariah

Notes

Artist statement: "Sariah was a true disciple of Jesus Christ. This oil on canvas portrays Sariah during the eight-year period in which she carried and delivered Jacob and Joseph. We know Sariah gave birth to both children before reaching Bountiful. Thus, Jacob may have been very young during the time of her pregnancy with Joseph. Those years in the wilderness were repeatedly described by Lehi’s family as a time of great trial. To give a snapshot of this consensus, Nephi explains, “we did travel and wade through much affliction” (1 Nephi 17:1). The daughters of Ishmael lamented, “We have suffered much affliction, hunger, thirst, and fatigue” (1 Nephi 16:35). Lehi would tell Joseph that “in the wilderness of mine afflictions [and] the days of my greatest sorrow did thy mother bear thee” (2 Nephi 3:1). Finally, Laman and Lemuel declared, “Our women… have borne children in the wilderness and suffered all things, save it were death” (1 Nephi 17:20). I created this painting during the third trimester of my own pregnancy. The physical and emotional weight of carrying my own child filled me with compassion for these women who wandered through tribulation. I wondered at the miracle of Sariah’s resilience. This faithful mother was certainly one of the stalwart women who inspired Nephi’s observation that the women “were strong… and they began to bear their journeyings without murmuring” (1 Nephi 17:2). I imagined Sariah’s steadiness, patience, and closeness to the Lord as she sojourned day by day. Her careful effort to endure the hardships of the wilderness surely was a great example to her children, even for the youngest of her sons. May her fortitude likewise remind us of the Savior’s grace, which enables us to nurture, love, and experience hope during the days of our greatest afflictions."

Commissioned Status

Submitted to the 2025 Book of Mormon Art Contest

Church Name

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints