SALLY DARLEY Afghanistan: A Fragile Hope? Peace and Reconciliation For A Torn Country An Exhibition of New oil Paintings 2012 At Birmingham Cathedral 8^th September to 19^th October
“I Am Jesus Who You Are Persecuting” On display at Halifax Minster			“God Saw All That He Had Made” On display at Halifax Minster
Sally Darley is a practicing artist and teacher living at Holmfirth and working at Holmfirth, Dewsbury and Huddersfield. She works freelance and for Kirklees Council IYSS and REACH Academy of Performing Arts. Trained at Batley College of Art and Manchester Metropolitan University, she has been producing visual works since 1981. Sally Darley is a member of the choir at Saint David's Church, Holmbridge. A Narrative for the 2012 art exhibition Afghanistan: A Fragile Hope? After researching the history and production of medieval artists' pigments, I found lapis lazuli to be an intriguing blue stone. Mined in Afghanistan for millennia, this was the only blue pigment available to artists in the ancient and medieval worlds; indeed, before our modern era, lapis lazuli was the only pigment with which to produce blue paint. As you can imagine, trade relations with Afghanistan were treated with consideration. Naturally, I began to reflect upon our own relations with Afghanistan. Hardly a day is without news of violence in this country of tribal people. Today, our own British troupes are posted to Afghanistan to try to keep peace and to deflect the violence there. Most Afghans are uneducated tribes people; they are easy fodder for anyone. Kabul, the capital, has a university but few people will know of anything other than fear and apprehension. We all have our own opinions about countries becoming places of war and terror, but can we possibly imagine what it must be like to be a child born into such an environment? Imagine a world where violence, horror and daylight murder are everyday occurrences. What would it look like? Children like to ask questions. How do we answer the questions of the Afghan child? How do we instil hope in one so young? I hope you will find something worthwhile in what you see here. It would be good to hear from you. Sally Darley 2012 info@sallydarley.co.uk 01484 687038 07949 721 958