My explanation: The sexual imagery is obvious, enjoy it! The ultramarine blue, cerulean blue, and aqua represent the stratosphere, atmosphere, oceans, and water of our fragile planet. The red circle on the left, represents the red in the flag of the United States of America, whereas the more yellow red circle on the right represents the red in the flag of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; in between is the bright white and yellow flash of a thermonuclear explosion that separates them defensively as well as politically by the spectre of war. The pink surrounding both red circles represents the humanity that encompasses both economic ideologies, capitalism and communism. The lavender strata inside the pink areas represents the EMP (electromagnetic pulse) created by nuclear fission or fusion. The burnt sienna (dark brown) strata represents the earth itself, rock, minerals, humus. The green strata represents all the flora and fauna sustained by the earth, atmosphere, and water. The yellow orange strata represents the reflection of the thermonuclear flash on the worlds food supply, amber waves of grain, tall prairies, and pampas. The five blank rectangles represent the absense of life on all five continents after a nuclear war, also forming the teeth of a grimacing colorful skull which is war itself.

The title of this 20" x 16" oil painting is self-explanatory.

I was in grade school living in Monmouth County, New Jersey, U.S.A. very near the Earl Naval Ammunition Depot when the Cuban Missle Crisis erupted. I remember the air raid drills everyday in school (duck and cover). I remember the debates raging on the radio, television, in classrooms, churches, on street corners, and fence lines, about what should be done to protect our democratic civilization. I remember losing sleep worrying about the civil defense sirens going off in the middle of the night, signifiying the possible beginning of the end to life as we knew it. Most of all, like every normal thinking human aware of the situation,
I remember I WAS SCARED!

Yes, there is a story about how I came to paint this, but obviously it is of a personal nature. Suffice it to say that it was painted impromtu.
If you would like to know the whole story write me: [email protected]

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