Síocháin (Peace)

Síocháin is the Irish word for peace, and this painting was conceived while Senator George Mitchell was negotiating and ultimately achieved a peace accord between Northern and the Republic of Ireland in 1998. Green, white and orange are the colors of the Irish Flag, green represents the Irish Catholics, the orange represents Northern Ireland and Irish Protestants, and the white is the hope of peace between the them. Each Color has a series of mazes with one path from the green and one from the orange leading into the center Labyrinth. A labyrinth typically has one entrance and one exit, but the labyrinth in the center of this painting has two entrances, so that one could enter from the green or orange side and meditate or pray to keep the evil spirits away from the peace that is represented by the only pure white in the center of the labyrinth.