Size: 14” x 19” / 65 x 70cm
Medium: Acrylic on Acid Free Paper
Date: 2020
Status: SOLD
Description:
A commissioned piece from the same Mr Bundy who snapped up The Good Husband. When I first presented my work to him, I had another painting with me - one that was not for sale, much to his frustration. He asked if I could create something similar. Mr. Bundy, never one to shy away from challenging subjects, agreed to my suggestion of a painting that addresses the harrowing issue of child soldiers in Africa.
In this piece, everything is conveyed through the eyes of a young boy: fear, pain, and confusion, but also a glimmer of hope—hope for something better, perhaps even for something his young mind cannot yet fully grasp. I placed him in a banana plantation, symbolic of the tropical regions of Africa where these tragic conflicts so often occur. In a peaceful world, this boy should be picking bananas with his family, helping his mother and sister sell them at the market, or perhaps selling them himself at a roadside stall. Instead, he is burdened by a rusty AK-47, a weight no child should have to bear - thrust upon him by adults who should know better.
Below is the painting that inspired Mr. Bundy’s request:
