A STUNNING painting was unveiled at Glasgow City Chambers with a unique artistic and musical event ahead of COP26.  

Six pupils from St Anne’s Primary School were chosen to feature in an oil on canvas painting, titled Our Future, by renowned artist and songwriter Gerard M Burns.  

Gerard, who has painted two First Ministers and a string of A-list celebrities, came up with the idea of the painting in August and finished it just two weeks ago in time for the climate change conference. 

He said: “My intentions were clear. 

“Firstly, the painting had to be about children, plain and simple.  

“If this conference is about anything at all, it’s about the future and it’s about their future, so the painting had to be about kids.  

“It was also really important that the painting reflected the multi-cultural nature of the city of Glasgow.” 

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Glasgow Times: Gerard M BurnsGerard M Burns

The children in the painting are Nadia Ripley, 6, Alisha Khaliq, 7, Lewis Lennox, 9, Fifi Falaye, 9, David Lin, 8, Ella-Mae O’Brien, 7.  

Graffiti behind them relates to COP26 and features some of the children’s own words.  

Gerard said the painting should be a “challenge” to those who see it during the conference, and it should stay with them.  

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He said: “I think they might be slightly confused when they see it at first and my hope is that once they’re able to engage with the symbolic layers behind the painting this will help to ram home the message, ‘the moment is now, no time to waste’ 

“And I hope every time they think about COP26, it’s somewhere in the back of their minds.”  

Gerard also wrote a song, called Mother Glasgow, that was beautifully performed by a choir from the East End school before the unveiling.  

The song outlines the urgency to make efforts to act on climate change during COP26 with the chorus stating, “the whole world is watching, it’s time to decide”.   

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He says he wrote the song after he was inspired by the pupils at the school and after a conversation with deputy head Marie Hamilton. 

He said: “On the way home from that first meeting to the studio, by the time I got home I had the song. 

“I had the chorus, and I had the bare bones of the verse.  

“So, for them also, normally it would be months and months of rehearsal, they’ve managed to pull this together in about five weeks which is truly remarkable.  

“As far as I’m aware, nothing else has been created that is specific to Glasgow, specific to COP26, so my hope is that this song will get massive traction, it should be a Glasgow anthem.”  

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Marie, who also led the choir as they performed the song, said: “The words of the song are magnificent, and they really just sum up what we want for our children.  

“Sometimes for children, what’s going on with world leaders can seem quite remote, and it’s great that children know by doing things like this that their voices are being heard.  

“This is their chance to be listened to.”  

Glasgow Times: Marie HamiltonMarie Hamilton

The painting will be on display in Glasgow City Chamber during the conference while a print will go on display at Glasgow Airport. 

Glasgow Times: L-R: Nadia Ripley, 6, Alisha Khaliq, 7, Lewis Lennox, 9, Fifi Falaye, 9, David Lin, 8, Ella-Mae O'brien, 7L-R: Nadia Ripley, 6, Alisha Khaliq, 7, Lewis Lennox, 9, Fifi Falaye, 9, David Lin, 8, Ella-Mae O'brien, 7