A painting that starts a conversation. It all started with my love of colour. Certain colours hold deep associations — as a child of the 1950s, I grew up in a culture where blue meant boys and pink meant girls. That stayed with me. In this painting I was searching for colours of similar tonal values but contrasting hues. Unsurprisingly, the pink and blue pulled me toward those childhood gender associations — and from there I discovered the concept of Gender Parity: the numerical idea of equal representation of men and women across education, leadership, and employment. The result is an expressive crowd scene that invites you to look closer, think harder, and perhaps debate a little. Have you noticed the hidden heart shape in the painting yet? Artwork details: Medium: Original acrylic on canvas Style: Expressionist crowd scene Dimensions: 61 × 61 × 4cm (24 × 24 in) Format: Square canvas Palette: Predominantly blue and pink with warm, multicoloured highlights Inspiration: Equality, equity and parity Artist: Neil McBride
