This week I received a letter from the Canadian Forces Artist Program (CFAP). I've applied to them as the official program to gain access as artist to Canadian Forces, world-wide. Every year for the last 8 years they have selected 8-12 Canadian artists to be deployed with the military. They go on exercises, spend time on bases all over Canada and have even gone to Afghanistan for weeks at a time. This program was restarted in June of 2001 to re-invigorate the War Artist program started during WWI by
Lord Beaverbrook. These people are the real Canadian War Artists and I've had the opportunity to meet and chat with a few of them. They are painters, photographers,
poets, filmographers and playwrights. Unlike me, they are all full time, professionals who don't focus on the military as subject. When they are accepted into the program they commit to provide a body of work based on their exposure to the military and Afghanistan. This work is centralized at the Canadian
War Museum in Ottawa and some also goes on tour across Canada. Their work can be gritty, honest and un-muzzled. Unfortunately, I won't be joining their ranks.
Its a great program and even though I was a bit deflated by the rejection, some army buddies reminded me again about why I took this on (and more importantly, why THEY backed me). My project is focused on documenting soldiers for soldiers. My own ego aside, they are the ones who sponsored me to go to Afghanistan and they are the ones who will benefit from the paintings. Even now, my pieces are starting to find their way into messes and regimental museums.
Insha'allah, by the end of the project (and my time on this little green globe), every mess in Canada will sport one of my pieces. So even though my paintings might not ever hang in a gallery in Ottawa, I'm ok with the company they'll keep.
Speaking of which, this one above is a quick watercolor study of the bigger piece I'm working on. This is Sgt. Mike Scott who was also a big supporter morally, logistically and physically. I'm hoping this piece will eventually find its way to his mess.
Yes, I know its lame to comment on your own post but this was sent to me by SM Steele, War Poet.
ReplyDeleteTHE AESTHETIC EQUIVALENT OF WAR by George Moore School of Visual Arts
Artists do not need war since peace proves so difficult. To be in visual arts, say, to paint, is already arduous. Yet the truly creative do not compete with others, nor with the history of their art, but themselves. If an artist rises each morning to a modest meal in an isolated, un-“cool” neighborhood, or to family humiliation traps, dressing in cheap clothes, takes public transportation (ignored by the press, world and his contemporaries), works a humiliating “day job”, then presses on to paint, perhaps to write, draw, dance, perchance to act, this is courage and creativity. For this artist, dedicated to creation, there is no time to kill.
We honor real sacrifice, courage and discipline, those who travel to dangerous places, to prolong, or better life, risking their own, but we also honor those who pursue art when it means great loss of status, security, and risk of self.