2nd Panel: Peace and Harmony with Nature
Description below photo.
​ The second panel of PEACE AND HARMONY WITH NATURE shows the best of humanity – children – coming together - their compassion, respect, and concern leading them to save the earth, nature, animals, and each other from pollution and the destruction of the environment.
There are many stories of the children we painted in this mural – such as the Mexican girl, dancing. We dedicated this portrait to my grandmother, Anita, because when she was a girl, she lived in a strict household and was never allowed to dance. So in the mural, we imagine her finally free to dance.
WHEN IS IT TIME TO HEAL? WHEN IS IT TIME TO FORGIVE? WE NEED JUSTICE
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When my father was painting the Scottish boy’s costume on the far left, after we had transferred the murals to DIA, an elderly couple visiting the airport told him that he should not paint the crest (which is like a medal) of that certain Scottish clan. My father asked them what crest belonged to their clan. The couple told my father about their crest, and later brought him a photocopy of it. My father painted that crest on the Scottish boy’s costume as well. Weeks later, other, different people came by and complained about the second crest. They protested like the other people: “How could you paint the crest of the clan that massacred our clan?” My father ended up painting three different Scottish crests on the same costume! It was the beginning of a great discussion. We pointed out that we understood their concern; however, since this was a mural about peace and healing for this generation, we painted the Europeans next to the Native Americans – our ancestors – who were also targeted with massacres by Europeans.
In the center of the mural, the children learn from a Yanomori child of the Amazon rainforest, who shows them how to care for the environment. This child shares with them an undiscovered plant from the rainforest that has not been crushed by bulldozers.
The humpback whale is not being slaughtered, the endangered whooping crane, no longer endangered, dances, and the snow leopard and her cubs thrive in the Himalayas. The Guatemalan girl, now free herself from oppression, releases the Quetzal.
We artists also have a sense of humor, especially my father; he dedicated the paintings of the noble golden Tamarin monkeys to him and his brother, my Uncle Lee.