Responding to the Darkness Descending - Painting 1
Responding to the Darkness Descending – Painting 1
Medium: Oil paint on canvas
Size: 100 × 100 × 4 cm
For most of my adult life, I believed society was moving in a positive direction. Not perfectly, and not without setbacks, but forward nonetheless. The divisions and hatreds that had scarred earlier generations seemed, slowly and painfully, to be losing their grip.
However, that belief is increasingly being challenged. Old prejudices are re-emerging, old certainties hardening, and there’s a willingness once again to allow ourselves to be divided into “us” and “them”. How can people so easily forget the lessons of the past?
Of course, for every act of intolerance, cruelty, and division, there are incredible people who stand up, speak out, take risks, and place themselves directly in harm’s way to protect and defend others.
I’m not that brave, so my response is to answer the spreading darkness with paint, colour, life, beauty, and hope.
Together, they are the heartbeat of Responding to the Darkness Descending. This painting marks the beginning of a six-part journey.
About the Painting
This painting is highly textured — something that’s difficult to capture on screen. Up close, you’ll see the layers: the central yellow burst at the heart, with reds, pinks, greens, and blues swirling and colliding, never quite settling. Each area holds its own mood and tension — a gold core, a green flame, a vortex of pink and magenta, and the line where light meets shadow.
See the Painting in Person
If you’re in London and would like to see the original, I’m always happy to open the studio. Just drop me a message and we’ll arrange a time.
Enquire about this work.
Other works
To see more, please click on one of the images below.
Oil paint on canvas
The Morning After the Night Before
Oil paint and pigment on canvas
Oil paint on linen (Framed)
