- Oil paint on canvas
- 910x1217mm
- Unavailable – private collection
“Rejoice in the hope of glory no’n’” is an open-ended series that I am painting over a number of years – this is the 2nd painting in the series and is now part of a private collection. Every so often I come across a scene that depicts the essence of hope. Limbs and extremities are often left unfinished or fuse with negative spaces around the figures. The boundary between glory and the figures becomes unclear and undefined; where does glory start and where does reality end or begin. Or is it not rather a fusion of the two creating a new reality of hope, of glory; hope should not be limited in its embrace of the heart – it has the ability to bring a newness to lives in a broken world.
The expression on the face of the young dancing boys reflects their total immersion in the dance. The front young boy is lost to the reality of his dance. The second young lad, more looking on, is drawn in by the joy of the other – the uncomplicated but textured negative space around them, hints of their reality, is part of yet not really a part of them. The reality of their rich cultural heritage in which they live is a catalyst to their joy – surely that is what hope and glory brings to our lives.