David Walker

As an artist you are frequently affected by events that happen, be they local, national or ethereal This month’s images are certainly outside my normal modus operandi. The Remembrance themed artwork was evolved during Remembrance Week and features the War Memorial in Looe, with Poppy Fields from Derbyshire, and significantly War Graves from the a small cemetery in the Somme.

I am against violence, of any sort, in any situation. There are always better ways of so living problems, acts of aggression are usually fuelled by peoples’ egos, how I wish that people could control their aggressive behaviour. Notwithstanding my stance, I have visited the beautifully kept, Allied War Graves in Africa, Europe and Asia to share my respects for those who died for me, and my fellow countrymen, to maintain our Freedom and Democracy. Perhaps my most challenging visit was to El Alamein, Egypt….a gravestone entitled 3 Unknown Soldiers, killed together in a scout car, well not one gravestone but many, many carrying exactly the same message.

On a happier note Mars passed as close to Earth as it will in my lifetime. I was working on one of my seascapes, when everything turned on its head and out came “Life on Mars”. How this happened, I just do not know, everything just came together!

The corollary to “Life on Mars” is “Blue Instead of Red”. This is a purely personal response to the new era that should see a change of direction, in the western world, following a recent election. The colour of the map changed from Red to Blue over a couple of days hence the Red of Mars changed to the Blue of hope for the future of mankind on our planet. Some would say that artists should not edge towards controversy, but there are many, many examples of those who did, and like Banksy, still do!

Finally I continued with the joyous theme with my “Queenstown Panoramic” and “Paddling by the Pier”.