This painting called “The Gift” came about when an old friend of mine, John, started talking about the rights and wrongs of the conflict in Gaza. It was early days and the depth of inhumanity had not shown itself. We both have Jewish heritage and he felt there was justification for the Israeli retaliations. I did not feel the same way but we agreed that war on civilians is too high a price to pay. For some inexplicable reason, John asked me to paint a painting that would show a Jewish person and a Palestinian as friends, he wanted something for his home. I agreed and went looking for people who would feel generous enough to give me their time. That was when I first contacted Words & Actions for Peace. They were full of encouragement and gave me the number of some people who they hoped would be able to help. I made contact with Gica Leoning at this stage and later Nada Shawa, but they were too busy to sit although full of encouragement. One day I was in a local charity shop and I spotted a really striking woman. Feeling brazen and with nothing to lose I asked her if she would like her portrait painted! That was my first meeting with “Luna”. I didn’t know she was Palestinian, at first, but then I found out she was the perfect person to sit for the painting. At the time I was cleaning for a woman and her husband and I suspected they had Jewish roots, so I asked if they might sit for me. They declined but gave me the number for their daughter Anna who had recently given birth. Anna like Luna is both generous and curious and she agreed with delight to sit for me with her son Ted. Luna, Anna, Ted and I all had tea and cake in my flat, talking about the importance of the work, the complexity of making contact in the arena of conflicting views, the history of the Palestinian struggle. Slowly the process began of painting began. I drew and painted from life and photographs in my studio. Somehow and very quickly Luna grew wings. Her status as an angel seemed the only way that I could feel the crimes against our humanity could be forgiven. She had to represent a transcendent power. This force lives in all of us. Luna wears traditional Palestinian dress that represents the human who forgives and the humans who have suffered. The transcendent and the human are both present. The gift is given by a little child, who also lives inside all of us, the pure innocence of love and compassion. Anna looks ever so slightly to one side, unable to give or receive. This inability to face, this also lives in us. It is all redeemed and made whole when contact is made between the human and the transcendent inside us. This painting is a prayer that took almost six months to complete. When I finally took it to John’s house he was moved by the painting, and the sense it brought that Peace is a real possibility. It also reminded him of his wife, Alice, who tragically died when their three children were still very young. I feel the painting has brought me closer to these people, and that we are all feeling more tuned into the idea of being a part of a human community that my prayer is being answered.

Phoebe Ryrko is an Edinburgh based artist and designer (pheoberyrko.co.uk). Phoebe’s work has been exhibited in collaboration with Words and Actions for Peace on Ratcliffe Terrace, Edinburgh (wordsandactions. scot).