And They Shall Inherit the Earth

I went into labor with my first child just before Iraq invaded Kuwait. That was back before the hospital cuts kicked in and then a normal stay after having a baby was 4 days. I did not listen to the radio or watch television while I was at the hospital. I was too absorbed with this new bundle of life I had created. On my last night in the hospital a friend came to visit, and it just struck me to ask her what was happening in the Persian Gulf. “Oh”, she said “war broke out 2 1/2 days ago”.

When I came home from the hospital I was overwhelmed. I had not finished setting everything up for the new baby, and this minor problem was compounded exponentially by the television. My brother in law had come over to greet the new baby and had turned on the television to watch the coverage of the Gulf war it seemed bizarrely loud. As I walked through the room I saw that the reporter was wearing a gas mask as he talked to the camera, and you could see missiles exploding in the background. At that time they still thought that the missiles were loaded with chemical weapons, it was very surreal.

Obviously I did not do the painting right away since I have two of my children in it. By the time the concept had percolated into a painting, the war and terrible famines in Somalia and Ethiopia had worked their way into the composition. It makes you wonder what kind of world we are leaving behind for our children.

This painting has participated in the following International Exhibits;
United Creators Exhibit, Madison Ave. New York, NY, USA 2009
United Creators Exhibit, Istinye Park, Istanbul, Turkey 2009
United Creators Exhibit, Frankfurter Stock Market, Frankfurt, Germany 2009
“REAL?” ICO Gallery, New York, NY, USA 2008