Thank you for stopping by. This is my most recent painting which I have named after the first precept of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, "All human beings are born equal in dignity and rights."

 

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights has thirty precepts and the first of these reads:
 
"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood."
 
Eleanor Roosevelt, former first lady of the United States, had begun to draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1946 following World War II.
 
I just learned that it was on my second birthday, September 28, 1948, that she spoke to an assembly at the Sorbonne in Paris and shared her view.
 
"We must not be confused about what freedom is. Basic human rights are simple and easily understood: freedom of speech and a free press; freedom of religion and worship; freedom of assembly and the right of petition; the right of men to be secure in their homes and free from unreasonable search and seizure and from arbitrary arrest and punishment."
 
When I was invited to submit a painting for Human Rights Day by Artists for a Better World, the deadline was less than two weeks away! I really wanted to participate in the event and I really wanted to apply a lesson from my course to make rough layouts of full designs.
 
Some kind of magic happened to stretch out the time.
 
Most of my layouts contained the first sentence of this beautiful precept but I decided to simply paint the mother and child to convey my own feelings regarding the inherent birthright of all human beings.
 
When I was satisfied with my work, I submitted the painting to the contest and was honored to win first prize in the adult category, and to have my work published in the Poets for Human Rights annual awards e-newsletter on 16 Dec. 2024, and Sailors Review digital arts magazine Issue 82 on 24 Dec 2024.

I have created an affordable 8 x 10 open print edition to celebrate the beauty of this first precept. 

 

You will find "All Human Beings are Born free and Equal in Dignity and Rights" in Prints.