I want to keep pushing and pushing, stretching myself and my realism art. I am on a constant mission to get more and more emotion onto a canvas. In my opinion, for the painting to be emotional it must be authentic. Emotion and authenticity takes me back to my very first night in Dhaka Bangladesh.
I left the hotel lobby into the dark night in Dhaka. I was jet lagged but looking forward to explore. As I walked down the street the noise of city life started to roar, the colours started to shine. I then turned the corner.
I will never forget turning that corner as the first thing that I saw were the eyes of this little boy. I always look into the eyes. His young eyes shook me. I saw fear, amazement, surprise and hopelessness. This child was begging with his Mother as the bustling streets swirled around him like a tornado. The child was lost, he kept turning to his Mother who constantly gave him a reassuring smile despite the sparkle of fear in her eyes.
Anger almost drowned me as I saw this. Why in Twenty Twenty Two should such poverty exist? I knew that I had to create a painting showing this child, his eyes and the hand of his Mother.
When I was back in the UK I got to work in my studio. I started with the eyes as this was the heartbeat of the painting. I used smaller and smaller brushes as more and more detail was required. I tried to create a dream like image where the child was very much awake in this hell whilst everyone else was asleep.
I want this image to grab hold of you and not let go. I want everyone that sees it to never forget it.
“Twenty Twenty Two” is also available as a signed limited edition print. CLICK HERE
