THE decision to use a painting featuring battered and bloodied whales lying in snow on a Christmas card sent out by a mayor has been explained as "an environmental message".
Councillor Dot Long, mayor of Darlington, chose the painting 'Train - Snow' by David Mach for the front of the cards to be sent out to businesses and people in the borough.
The work features Mr Mach's renowned Brick Train in a snow setting, with various other winter scenes, such as skiers and snowboarders and huskies, as well as the whales laid, apparently harpooned, on the floor.
A spokesman for Darlington Borough Council said that the picture as a message to "care for your environment".
He said: "It's a collage, which the artist has put together, which depicts cross-sections of human life. There are good bits, benign bits and some things that are not so good.
"There is a message in there - 'care for your environment' - which is a worthy message.
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