“La bataille“ - acrylic on canvas 8” x 16” gallery wrapped
Inspired by some of my favourite childhood memories, I’ve been working on a new painting series featuring children playing that classic schoolyard game we all knew so well: “King of the Castle.” It was a rite of passage—though I’ll admit, I was never very good at it! But it taught me resilience and determination. I also am working on other games, that, in retrospect, were a little rough. The latest is this one where we have kids having a snowball fight.
I went to Sir Winston Churchill School from grades 5 to 8, and right outside the principal’s office hung that unforgettable portrait of Winston Churchill by Yousuf Karsh. That fierce, determined expression stuck with me, and I’ve carried a lot of inspiration from Churchill’s life ever since.
In times like these, I often think about his words. One quote in particular stands out:
“These are not dark days. These are great days… each of us according to our stations, to play a part in making these days memorable…”
(Substituting nation for the original wording, of course.)
