Neil Packer   Fine art prints: Peace should be learned in Childhood

Peace should be learned in Childhood

'In 2022 I was honoured to be chosen by the Iranian illustrators' society and the Children's Book Council of Iran to represent the UK alongside 16 other illustrators from across the globe. The exhibition entitled "Peace should be learned in childhood" opened in Tehran and the participating illustrators were asked to produce a single image that reflected their views on the topic of peace. This image was my interpretation which focuses on the fragility of peace and suggests that it is not a state to be taken for granted.

'The drawing is based on a Russian Lubok print from the 1760's and the image of the cat was thought to be a caricature of the then very unpopular and very dead Peter the Great, here being plotted against by the mice. In 2022 when I made this drawing I deliberately left a degree of ambiguity as to who or what the image represented but you can decide for yourself who the "Orange" cat might represent now.

'I have now decided to offer A2 and A3 prints of it with a percentage of any profit to be donated to the War Child charity.'