Hiroshima and Sunflowers illustrates many influences. 

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony is held each year on August 6th. How does one portray Hiroshima so that a child or an adult can aesthetically ponder and yet tolerate the horror of horror? And further the work must NOT to be propaganda; it must strive to eliminate every gratuitous image and word.

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• Hiroshima is painted raw upon burlap.

• van Gogh's sunflowers juxtapose with the atomic explosion. 

• Miro's monsters portray the terror metaphorically.

• Picasso's Don Quixote (or is it a Samurai) gazes upon the horror.

• The Hiroshima Peace Memorial skeleton building stands by the water.

• Japanese style landscape of mountains and water are in the distance.

• Japanese paper lanterns float in the water by the peace memorial.

• Mondrian colors brighten paper lanterns, rising sun and bird of peace.

• Words not to be forgotten are painted. 

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   This is pretty much the order in which I painted this picture. I didn't set out to appropriate the images and styles of half a dozen artist in one painting. No, I had one idea that I needed to portray in an accessible way. The necessary aesthetic choices were made along the creative process.

 

Of course, I am biased and love this picture. Maybe no one else will. But I have spent so much emotion, intelligence and creativity upon this work; that I hope it displayed, appreciated. There is not a gratuitous image or word in the piece. There are familiar images, but they are not cliches.