Flowers and Bombs

"We share the same biology, regardless of ideology / Believe me when I say to you / I hope the Russians love their children too".

I have had the lyrics from Sting’s 1985 Cold War-era song “Russians,” from his album The Dream of the Blue Turtles (a great one by the way) in my head for a while now, resurfacing when there is talk in the news of recent bombings and threats of war. I also am reminded of this when I look internally and struggle with my personal tug-of-wars between good and evil.

Despite the underlying darkness of distress, guilt, misery and sin, there is available righteousness and forgiveness – a counter concept based on the “duality” of a person as both a saint (flowers) and a sinner (bombs).

These collage and mixed media pieces are 6 different variations of the same theme, all using the same bottom screen printed colors and images as a base that the final complete compositions were added onto.