The Barbed Wire Barrier
Maria Rosa, Age 13
My watercolour depicts a view from Carey, Co. Antrim representing my experience of lockdown. From where I stand, lush green fields and the tranquil ocean may be just over the fence but are out of reach. The blackened forms of Ballycastle and Rathlin represent distant ‘voids’ as they were out of bounds and as inaccessible as Rathlin Island across the water.
Barbed wire symbolises the painful spectre of covid slicing through the landscape while fencing barriers keep livestock in, just as we were kept in during lockdown. Like sheep, we reacted to lockdown, some grazing contentedly in place while others escaped, often exposed to risk as a result.
‘Red sky at night is a shepherd’s delight’ predicts good weather and good times are ahead. This sky colouring achieves positivity and contrast but is not yet reflected in the sea as this distant promise has yet to become reality.