Innocence

Innocence is based on a dream I had in the fall of 2009.
In the dream, I was standing at one end of a very large room. At the other end of the room was a huge orange portrait of an African boy. He seemed wise, innocent and mischievous all at the same time. As I walked toward him, I suddenly realized that there were images of many children floating over his face. Images that I couldn't see from the back of the room, children I could only see when I was willing to stand close to the child. The children were from all over the world and in many situations. They were laughing, playing, eating and working. There were also child prostitutes and even a child soldier was represented. The boy (whom I affectionately call Ernest) seemed to be telling me to pay attention to the children in our world, to speak for them and tell their stories, for they are the innocent ones, they are in peril in many places, and they have no voice.
Over the many months I worked on Innocence, I seemed to feel a closeness and compassion for these children. Many of them had come into my life at one time or another. Two of my kids and my niece are in this piece, along with some of their playmates.