FOCUSING ON AFGHANISTAN
This work is painted from resources from Air Force, Army and Marine Veterans who served in the Middle East. It helped me learn their story, and enabled me to be with them in heart and mind.
Their memories vary, but the hopeful memories are of children and women getting to go to school, to learn… to have some freedom in their living. People helping people. The other memories are not spoken of, to me.
During this time I focused on the serving ones being away from our America. We prayed a lot, and understand that it is God who determines the days of our lives. We trust Him. Yet that prayer was night and day.
So much has changed since then. There is one painting, not of my own or the featured Veterans’ resources, of an evacuating service member clutching our flag from the embassy as they were leaving Kabul. “Folded In the Flag” is the story of the honor of our serving ones in Afghanistan. It was an intense time. The image is taken from the internet. Some say a news company was the first to obtain it, but no one mentions the photographer’s name. I would like to thank that person for releasing that photo to all of us, fully accrediting their experience and image that this painting was taken from. I salute our Veterans from my heart in sincere gratitude and respect.
Following the Afghanistan paintings, I have two from the “Shock and Awe” period of going into Iraq. There are also paintings representing families of the serving ones, and some lighter works with patriotic themes.
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BOHLENDER ART 