It's not so much deliberate and conscious, but more a reflection of what I see around me. These things creep into my paintings. So you paint what you feel and see rather than deliberately sit down to portray a particular political issue. You see, people know political issues, and many schools of painting do that extremely well. Blood and gore go all over the canvas.
People know the world's in a mess without having it hung at home.
People have individual strife and troubles in their lives so some peace and contentment is required. I've been reinforced in this philosophy by two psychiatrists. One was an Albertan, and the other was a Japanese psychiatrist in Colby. They both had reproductions of mine hanging in their waiting rooms and told me that these had a very calming effect on their patients. I think the elements and the colour in the paintings have a soothing effect.