Acrylic on canvas, mixed media
122 x 122 cm

This painting tells a story of redemption, and it is a very personal one to me. It was a gift to Zac, a young man I have known since he was a young boy playing rugby with my own son. Zac fell into the cruel jaws of drug addiction as a teenager, spiralling quickly out of control. His Mum and Dad watched helplessly as their beautiful son self-destructed. The anger and pain of addiction took Zac and his family into complete darkness and deep despair.

At the bottom, he was arrested and convicted for drug possession and use. In prison, Zac got help and began to heal. When I visited him there, I was confronted by the hostility of the facility itself: barbed wire, prison uniforms, all encased in razor wire. He marked the countdown of days to his release with crosses scratched on a wall.

I gave him this painting when he was released from prison. It was such a joy to witness this young man earn a fresh start, and my abiding hope is that all recovering addicts will find their own paths to freedom.

The painting blends the darkness of Zac’s addiction and his family’s tears with the bright warmth of the sun and blue skies ahead. It is punctuated by symbols of rehabilitation, both punitive and hopeful.