(Gananoque, ON – November 24, 2025) “Truth” has come to Gananoque in a very big way at the O’Connor gallery. The black and white painting by Jan Traversy measures 6 feet by 8 feet in size and depicts a scene from her imagination that brings home all the horrors of the war in Gaza and especially the deprivation experienced by the children there.

“I reached a point where silence felt impossible,” said Traversy. “Every day, we were seeing images of children in Gaza living through circumstances no child should ever face. The injustice of it – the sheer wrongness – weighed heavily on me. This painting became my way of refusing to look away. I felt compelled to create something large enough and quiet enough to hold the truth of what these children are enduring. It was the only way I knew to bear witness with honesty and heart.”

It took nine months for her to complete “Truth”. Rubble, dust and destruction are everywhere, buildings that were once people’s homes are depicted as broken shadows of themselves. Images throughout the work are pulled from photographs or televised news of the war. An androgynous child gazes out with innocent eyes over a collection of enshrouded corpses.

The painting gains power through the use of stark black and white, emphasizing the harsh coldness of a land with so little hope for peace. 

“The environment reflects Gaza, though not in a literal documentary sense,” said Traversy. “It is an emotional landscape formed from months of destruction – collapsed buildings, dust-filled air, the haunting quiet after bombardment. It represents a place where civilian life has been shattered and where children are forced to grow up among ruins they did not create.”

“Jan is one of the many talented artists in the gallery,” said Dennis O’Connor, gallery owner. “She approached me about a new work that she was working on, one that she was having difficulty completing because of the subject manner.

“I saw the work and was quite impressed. Though controversial I told her that I wanted to display it in the gallery. I do not censor artwork produced by my artists. The painting is both moving and powerful. She depicts war and destruction and a lack of humanity with a deep, heartfelt empathy.”

The current war in Gaza between Israel and Palestinian militant groups has captured world attention for more than two years. Starting on October 7, 2023, the war has killed more than 69,000 Palestinians according to the Gaza Health Ministry and more than 460 Israeli soldiers. Almost half of the Palestinian casualties have been women and children, and the majority of the 2.3 million people living in Gaza have been displaced. There are acute shortages of food, water, and medical care, and many people live in unsanitary, overcrowded situations. In August of this year, an official confirmation of famine was made, but aid organizations are still being given limited to no access to deliver essential supplies. Evidence of war crimes committed by both Hammas and the Israelis has been found by a UN Commission of Inquiry, and the International Court of Justice is studying a case against Israel for the commission of genocide.

“My inspiration came directly from the children whose lives have been shattered,” said Traversy. “Over months of watching, reading, and grieving from afar, I kept returning to their faces – their fear, their resilience, their innocence. As a mother myself, I couldn’t help but imagine my own children in their place, and the thought was unbearable. That emotional connection pushed me to paint from a place of profound empathy. I wanted to create a space where one of these children could be seen with dignity and tenderness, outside the noise of politics and headlines.

“I chose an androgynous child because this suffering does not discriminate. Children of all genders, all ages, are enduring the same fear and devastation. By keeping the figure genderless, the painting becomes universal – a symbol of every child caught in war. It invites the viewer to connect with innocence itself, not a specific identity.”

But there was still room for a symbol of hope – a tiny white dove resting on the child’s hand in the midst of all the chaos.

“The world is going through very trying times at this moment and we need to remember our past history of strife and death,” said O’Connor. “Artists have through time immemorial illustrated the worst of war and cruelty. Picasso, Goya and many others have been witnesses to these atrocities. (Traveresy’s) ‘Truth’ is another ‘Guernica’ but with a symbol of hope in the presence of the dove. Her talent and sensitivity to this subject are evident in this incredible work.”

“This powerful piece of art is now on display in Gananoque,” Sam Elias, a Canadian of Palestinian ancestry, posted on social media. “This is one of the most moving pieces of artwork I have ever seen. It is beautiful, sorrowful and deeply truthful and a witness to the world – a world that has looked away, and (it is) asking us all to see the humanity of these beautiful people who have suffered for decades … as 20,000 Palestinian children were taken from this earth. Taken too soon… thank you deeply for this healing and incredibly important piece of artwork.”

“Truth” will be on display at the O’Connor Gallery in Gananoque until the new year.