Blood Runs Thicker When It Runs In Vain - Moleskine Art

This is a subject I return to time and time again. I try to understand the connection between honour and murder. The medieval notion that blood can wash away dishonour leaves me confused, disheartened and angry. Honour...what exactly is it other than pride? If a woman has unsanctioned sex, her husband, father/ brother or son has the right to kill her in order to scare off any other male attempting to encroach on his property. The same goes for the beheading of enemies, it is simply a matter of pride. Over the centuries we have accepted the concept of honour that sounds altogether more noble and altruistic than the word pride that is so much more base and selfish. The powerless continue to pay the price. Nobody cares to address this tragedy as no one wants to be seen as passing judgement on another culture/ religion or tradition because the root of this lies elsewhere. Well I'm saying it. Once again an archaic male obsession blights the lives of women and children, and no one should accept it or make excuses for it.

It Is A Clean Slate - Moleskine Art

My fascination with angels comes out in my work quite often. This page concerns a 17 year old schoolfriend in the Middle East, who gave birth to her boyfriends baby with the help of myself and her sister, we were 15 at the time. Her mother was out of the house luckily. We used a medical book to tell us what to do. We called the boyfriends mother who having absorbed a major shock, hid the baby under her 'abaya' (The black covering worn by Muslim women) and took her off home pretending to friends and neighbours that she'd given birth not knowing she had been pregnant. It was one of the most dangerous things I have ever been through. My friend almost became an honour killing statistic, but it all ended well with her marrying her boyfriend. Her father wasn't informed of the existence of a grand daughter till safely after the wedding, he still chased her round the house with a meat cleaver. The angels were with us that day!