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About the Picture
I painted this small work especially for the A6 exhibition at Lewisham Arts Centre. The criteria were simple: all works must
be post card size and cost £20. I turned to my favourite painter for inspiration: Chagall. In order to make my work stand
out from all the others I would rely on the power of vibrant colour. Subject matter should be suggestive without descending
into my usual (some might say) incomprehension. The farmer is a disguised Santa Clause; his fur-lined boots give him away.
Well, what should a selfless man do for the other eleven months. A nod to the December date of the exhibition, and the obvious
present potential of the selling environment underpins this allusion. Yet, the work offers more than a cynical pandering
to market forces. The farmer has downed tools, and let his farm go to ruin. The wooden slats in the foreground have fallen
into disrepair: a home for insects and worms. His chicken shares the yard with a wild bird. A generous fool makes the world
happy: we love Santa for his ascetism.
Click on the image to see the picture in more detail.
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