Damon was 39 years old when he painted this picture, he was dying of cancer and within a matter of weeks of painting it he was dead.  The contrast in style and content is remarkable, something radical had happened to him that caused him to change his outlook on life completely.  He became a Christian, and he discovered that the words of Jesus are so true "I have come so that you may have life and have it completely".  He stopped looking around and he looked up "My help comes from the Lord the maker of heaven and earth".  Towards his last days Damon painted dozens of sunsets one after another until one evening he came to visit me at my home and he brought with him this painting.  It is called 'The Last Evening' he said to me "At last I have got these sunsets out of my system".  The painting is the last evening, it was the last sunset he ever painted and it was the last time he came to my house, he died shortly after.
    The painting is full of hope, the boat is empty and lilts gently to one side, it is finished with he no longer needed it! The scene is tranquil, Damon is now part of the glorious sunset he has crossed over into the certainty of eternal life.  The other boat is firmly on the land upright and ready for use.  This was for his family to follow him.  I am proud to have known him, he quite literally stepped from being fogbound to understanding the life change that knowing Jesus Christ can bring.