Mark Henson
Mark Henson’s prolific body of visionary work is appreciated by people everywhere.
Oil on Canvas
48 inches x 64 inches
©1993
Buy a print here.
The weapons broker plays with his money and weapon toys, his desk forming the TV that lulls the American family into its illusions. Keeping our standard of living oiled at all costs, the media perpetuates the lie by playing clips of a “Smart Bomb” hitting enemy targets. Daughter preens Barbie complete with sports car, soon to become like Mom stuffing herself with junk food and apple pie. Pop downs his beer shaking his fist in approval while Sonny practices war games with his GI Joe. Oil fires split the canvas and light the horizon of death. Tanks blast away at anything that moves. This part of the war never makes it to the TV set. In reality, everybody looses. People die, animals die, the earth dies, our kids die. There is no honor, no winners in a war. There are no “Smart” bombs. This painting goes in and out of fashion.
Wars are so short now, Mark started this piece when Desert Storm I, our war with Iraq in 1991 began. He was still painting it when Desert Storm, ended. Unfortunately, several more similar stupid wars have come and gone since that time. He painted it in a direct response to a leftover old tank being driven down our street in California to rally support for the war effort.
When the zealot Army drivers turned the gun turret towards our home, Mark wanted to stop the parade by jumping in front of the tank with a rose, like the brave student in Tienemin Square in China. Fortunately, the tank caused its own demise. Clouds of thick black smoke belched from its rear. This scared the horses that were trailing behind it. The horses scared a troupe of tiny tap-dancers that were behind them. The entire parade self-destructed.
Ten years later, the same dreadful repetition. Now we know that our kids are dying from “depleted” Uranium sickness, Gulf War syndrome, and that’s just the garbage weaponry. The real weapons we can’t even talk about.
The solution: Begin to circulate in your local area a non-nuclear proliferation treaty. Where do you think these bombs are made anyway?