Denise Bowes, Beth Robinson

When War in Iraq seemed inevitable, Denise painted this work on fabric in order to carry it in an anti-war protest. It shows Cheney and Rumsfeld as the power behind Bush, pushing him into war in Iraq. The concept is modeled after the portrait by Raphael of Pope Leo X, showing that his cardinals had most of the power. The triangle, resting on its narrow point, suggests the instability of our world. Beth had worked with returning WW2 injured soldiers in a rehabilitation capacity, and embroidered the repetitive, camouflage-coloured diagonal lines to increase the tension of the piece. Sewing through the duration of the war was a time for mourning the senseless loss of life in Iraq.

Acrylic on cotton with cotton embroidery, mounted on a pine frame.
41" height by 32-1/2" width by 3/8" depth.