Peace explores a form of calm that is grounded rather than passive. The figure appears composed, yet there is something guarded in his expression; a sense that he is present without wanting to be drawn into whatever is unfolding around him.
Brickles describes peaceful people as being like elephants; “calm grounded and not here for your chaos.” The elephant becomes a visual and psychological presence within the work, extending through the green linework that surrounds the figure and gives the portrait another layer of meaning.
There is humour in the idea, but also a boundary. Brickles continues: “They move slow think deep and if pushed too far… well lets just say even saints have tusks.”
Against the intense red ground, the figure’s restraint becomes particularly striking. He seems to occupy his own space, observing rather than participating; calm, perhaps, because he has already decided what is worth his energy.
Peace invites the viewer to consider the difference between being peaceful and simply being quiet. Sometimes peace is knowing when not to listen, not to react, and not to enter someone else’s chaos.
