Oil and Acrylic Painting of Woman Crying Out for Peace, "Crying Out for Peace"

Juan Henry Mendez shares his concern about the conflicts and suffering in today's world. He depicts a Mayan woman gazing skyward where warplanes fly in formation. A rose arises from a grenade in an image of hope, and an iridescent hummingbird clings to the thorny stem.

"Today we live in a world where wars have become common, wars in which thousands of people lose their lives while most of us hope for a better world," the Guatemalan artist says. "This painting, 'Crying Out for Peace,' takes us to a context where, one day, these bombings will be the beginning of a new era of peace. Every missile will become a rose that leads to those colorful dreams in which our children can go out to conquer the world without fear.

The woman's petition can be clearly seen. It's the cry of many countries today for an end to war. The rebozo shawl represents the harmonious union that we, as humans, should have. The child's hands are raised toward the war planes in her fervent petition for an end to war, as though she is saying, 'Enough!'

"The grenade that gives birth to the rose is the change that should happen. Bombs should be relegated to the past so that dreams of spring's splendid beauty can arise and, with the flight and song of the hummingbird, we can all live in a world filled with the hope of peace and harmony among nations."

Titled Clamando por la paz in Spanish.