This painting is a reaction to the events the world witnessed unfold in Minneapolis (Saint Paul) during January [2026] as Trump’s Brown Shirts, under the guise of an immigration operation, sowed fear and aggression throughout Minnesota, resulting in an “overwhelming” amount of wrongful arrests and the tragic loss of life.

I had the Stars & Stripes / Police tape concept quite early on but wasn’t sure how to handle the Stars.  This changed when I researched Minnesota and discovered its state flower is the Pink-and-white Lady’s Slipper orchid.  I found a timelapse of the flower unfolding its petals, which almost appeared to be screaming. This captured the defiant spirit of the locals protesting on their streets.  Aligning the moment the flowerhead and petals opened – the scream – with the tape/flag being blown away hopefully conveys that being vocal and standing up for what you believe in will eventually overcome the obstacles before you.

Protest & Process

i wanted this project to be quicker than usual, using acrylic as the main medium.  This included spray paint, roller markers and brushes, but also solvent transfer of magazine photos from a recent TIME article (both onto cardboard and canvas). This was also a master-study, a chance to revisit the work of Robert Rauschenberg.  An American artist known for his activism and a lifelong influence on me.

It was also an exploration of projected colour - as I develop this hybrid traditional and digital approach, I’ve realised how I can manipulate the local colours on the canvas by shifting the projected hues. This allows me to reveal/remove painted elements or simply transform the overall mood of a piece. I’ve been thinking about how you can bypass the projection aspect and use transparent displays, resulting in better definition and colour.