Whilst recently reading Neil Oliver’s book, “Wisdom of the Ancients”, one of the quotations that particularly stood out to me was about how “opportunity is often missed, as it comes wearing overalls and involves hard work.” It immediately made me think about the old Russian propaganda posters showing strong men and women, working for the good of the Communist state. The sentiment struck a particular chord with me, reminding me of the very first lecture of my art course at university (The College of Ripon and York St John) where we were told by Keith Martin (bless him), in no uncertain terms, that there would be no time for ‘artistic temperament’ and that we would be expected to come in every day and work hard – art is hard work! Whether it was because of that, or because of the work ethic instilled in me by my parents, I have always believed that if you want to achieve anything, in any field, talent alone is not enough – hard work is also a necessity.

I am very pleased with the way this print has come out – I like the strength and energy.