Original artwork description:

This painting explores the portrait of a child soldier in Africa and becomes a symbol of those forced to or have no opportunity to escape drafting into a militia army or are kidnapped to become indoctrinated into fighting a war they do not want any part of.

The title of the painting is inspired from The Doors song 'Break on Through' and the painting was entered previously into the ING Discerning Eye painting competition and exhibition and was chosen by David Remfrey RA and exhibited online during Nov - Dec 2020.

The painting is made up of a variety of portraits that have been painted on top of one another, built up over a period of years, until a final layer of grey was added and left for one year, before rubbing through the layers of paint to gradually bring the various portraits together to form one portait made of many.

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‘Break on Through’ explores breaking through barriers that have been constructed to keep people from greater knowledge. Throughout history barriers have been constructed to keep certain elements of society at bay, in control, kept at their station and in their place etc. These can be seen as traditional moral codes, the law, or even your own fears/ thoughts/ ideas of oneself.

This work also alludes to The Doors of Perception by Aldous Huxley, who, through mescaline, broke through traditional perceptions of the world around him and entered into different consciousnesses. This was celebrated in the past by the Romantics William Blake, John Keats and Percy Shelley, of which Jim Morrison was a fan, hence the title of this painting.

The second part of the title, in parentheses, also from the Doors song, alludes to the history of slavery in all its forms.

Materials used:

Oil Paint on Linen (Stretched)

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