Synapse #8

Synapse #8. Acrylic paint on canvas 30.4 x 40.6 cm. Julie Clarke, 2010

It was hot yesterday, so I spent most of my time indoors and completed this small painting. Sorry about the quality of the photographs. I don't have a tripod, so have to take photos of the paintings whilst they are leaning against the wall on small mantelpiece over the heater. Colors of the paintings are almost, but not quite accurate. I may start another painting today. My plan is to get out down to the shops in the morning before the day heats up and then to undertake some quiet inside activity in the afternoon. I remembered Remembrance Day too early yesterday. I closed my eyes on the tram at 10 am to remember our soldiers fallen in battle. I absolutely applaud the notion that it is un-Australian not to remember Remembrance Day, which is, as someone said on the television yesterday, an institution, not just a tradition. Is one minute's silence at 11 am on the 11th day of the 11th month of the year too much to ask to remember those who sacrificed so much? I was thinking of my grandfather (WW1) and father (WW2) when I began this painting and how war not only affects those who fight, but affects their families and future generations.