Words of Peace

The theme is still “Words” for the Documented Life Project’s prompts.  This week the challenge was to use quotations or lyrics and the prompt quotation was from actor James Earl Jones: “One of the hardest things in life is having words in your heart that you can’t utter”.

I pondered using favourite songs or poems, even developed the ideas in my head, but I just did not feel inspired by any of my ideas.  I decided I should think of something that really articulated my thoughts and feelings right now, thinking that the additional meaning might inspire me.  Lately I have been thinking a lot about the state of the world, about my job as a parent trying to raise children in this world.  Bloody conflicts; terrible acts of terrorism and other atrocities: massive numbers of people being displaced and desperate; individuals campaigning on manifestos of fear, hatred, and intolerance; division and selfishness… Some days it is hard to focus on the good in humanity.  It is there if we look for it, of course, but the cruelty of the world is much in evidence at the moment.

So that was my inspiration for my art journal page.  I used watercolour to write words associated with peace – as well as the word peace itself – and used those to fill the shape of a dove, a recognised symbol of peace.