Title: Only Hope
Size: 18 x 14 inches
Medium: Graphite Pencil
Price: $300
Availability: Sold

Though this piece was created long before the War With Iraq, the drawing quickly became a symbol of hope and a powerful icon, not just to the husbands and wives waiting for their loved ones to return home, but to all Americans who have been touch by the war. In order to accomplish this deep emotion and allow the viewer of the piece to directly connect with the drawing, I used many details and actual photos as resources to create a realistic setting. I wanted everyone who saw the piece to not just see a drawing, but to look past the pencil strokes and see the scene as a window in time. I wanted each section such as the newspaper or the patch to stand alone as an object, believable in it's own right, but together be captivating and mesmerizing to the observer.

Notice the embroidery on the patch and the crispness of the newspaper. These are both examples of textures that were specifically place to create realism for each object. Though the piece is a collage of items, it was still important to create this realistic feel in order to give a desired effect of rushed memories in a single moment. Though some might look at the drawing and see it as a soldier yearning for the life he left behind, I meant the piece as Lindsay, the woman, remembering her husband and despite all hope, anticipating the worst.

Also look at the forest, the background to the right. See how it is the only section that seems unrealistic. This is because Lindsay is imagining the backdrop and how it would look. She sees a horrific and terrifying place with dark entwined leaves and branches almost encompassing her husband, Jacob, as he tries to fight his way through. This is an example of her emotion being placed onto the scene as she thinks of her husband. She is envisioning the fear and pain that Jacob might be going through, even though she has no idea where he is or what is happening. Again, notice how Lindsay and Jacob appear to be looking at each other. This, even though they are apparently in two separate places, gives the appearance that the two remain connected in thought and in spirit.

As I created the drawing, I decided to leave much to be desired by the spectator. Is Jacob just missing in action, is he dead? The newspaper reads Hero MIA, but the medal, the bronze star, is awarded for heroism in battle, an award rarely received without the loss of a soldier life.

These key details and techniques together create a scene of unending possibilities bringing art to life and emotion in our own battle fields here, as we wait for our troops to come home.