ROSS TOWNSEND
Wars end
Oil
87 x 54cm
My painting ‘Wars End’ depicts life in Australia in 1947 just after WW11. The scene is a morning in Market Street, Sydney and the hustle and bustle of people walking the street on their way to work. The general mood is very happy and positive as life is recovering from war. I was inspired to paint this scene as my father Allan Townsend at the age of 22 years is one of the main figures on the right carrying his paper in his hand and smiling while listening to his friend Ray McGrath. My father served with the RAAF during WW11 and went on to a very successful career achieving the rank of Wing Commander. I enjoyed painting this subject and the challenge of only using four colours to mix a sepia colour to create a black and white appearance for the overall painting.
