My father came home after World War II
with a portrait that had been painted of him while he convalesced from
combat wounds in a European hospital.
Although he had loathed the war and refused to discuss his experiences, his portrait was the most important picture on our living room wall. My mother loved it for being a portrait of him and they both appreciated it for being the only genuine oil painting that our family owned.
We were fortunate that he came back alive. I can't imagine having grown up without him or the grief that families go through when a loved one is suddenly lost.
Although he had loathed the war and refused to discuss his experiences, his portrait was the most important picture on our living room wall. My mother loved it for being a portrait of him and they both appreciated it for being the only genuine oil painting that our family owned.
We were fortunate that he came back alive. I can't imagine having grown up without him or the grief that families go through when a loved one is suddenly lost.
Because of all that I volunteered to paint portraits of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan for the Faces of the Fallen exhibit at the Arlington National Cemetery, for once the exhibit was over the families of the soldiers would be presented with the portraits. I could give something to those families and I wished to create paintings of lasting personal value for them.
The opportunity to participate in this project was a great honor.
