'Lines of Departure'

'Lines of Departure' is a painting from a photo that was taken by a Daily Mail photographer a few hours before I suffered a brain injury from an IED blast, one which killed LCpl David Dennis. It is a very relevant piece to my life and the lives of many who were affected that day. The title comes from the military term 'line of departure', which refers to a line on a map that shows the boundary between friendly and enemy forces. I chose a plural title as there are many metaphorical departures after the events taking place in this scene: the departure of those who were killed and injured, the departure of those who were to be medically discharged as a consequence of their injuries, the departure of those from a military to a civilian life.

I added a group of birds in the painting as an analogy to soldiering: they fly in formation, and as one tires, another takes the lead, echoing the infantry line on the ground; the flock work in order and harmony, with discipline and stamina, the weakest supported by the strongest for the survival of all. The slow, silent flap of the wings heightens the silence below, with the armoured vehicles now stopped; a peaceful scene, but fully expectant of the dangers of what might happen next or the chaos that could be waiting ahead beyond the high ground.

The painting inspired Grayson Perry to create his tapestry ‘Line of Departure’, which was exhibited in the National Portrait Gallery from October 2014 to March 2015 for his ‘Who Are You?’ exhibition. My ‘Lines of Departure’ was exhibited in the Mall Galleries, London in 2015 and featured in a 17 July 2015 Daily Mail article titled ‘Marching into the jaws of death’.

The original oil painting was purchased by the Daily Mail, to hang in their headquarters in London.