FIRE (Work in Progress Boot Camp Series)

9x12 oil on panel 

As many of you know, my son enlisted in the Navy last month....He will be in boot camp until the end of April.  Having gone through boot camp myself and surviving it with no lasting wounds, I thought this would be a piece of cake....I never anticipated the worry and concern I would feel being on the "other side".  When I was at boot camp 20 something years ago, I was kept so busy there was very little time to think about home.  As a mom, with my son there, the inability to contact or comfort him is very profound....I have a whole new respect for military families now, but especially boot camp Moms.  I have found lots of comfort and support on the Navy For Moms website, but also on the US Navy Recruit Training Command Facebook page, where they post photos of random divisions and recruits regularly...I keep hoping to see my son, but as of yet I haven't....


However, I asked if I might use the photos as reference for paintings and was overjoyed when the answer came back as yes!  I will credit the photogropher when my work is complete, but I'm not quite finished with this one yet, (you can see the peach colored areas that still need work) but I was anxious to get back to blogging, so here is my second in the Navy Boot Camp Series....


Firefighting training....I remember this well, the hose is extremely heavy and strong and requires all the man/woman power shown to manage it.  I remember being quite exhausted and scared after putting out this very real fire.  I really like the composition of this, it has many meanings for me.. First, the guy in red is an experienced Sailor, evidenced by his title on his helmet,  EMC2, he is leading the recruits into danger, yet at the same time, showing them the way....The way they all stand so uniformly represents the trust they have for their teacher/commander.   He knows he must lead them in to the danger while at the same time showing confidence so that they will succeed in the mission....I really like how the position of the subject/focal point's body suggests no fear, while at the same time, the recruits seem frozen....they will go in and fight the fire, there is no doubt, but experience and trust are the running themes here.


I have found myself quite distracted and uninspired with regards to painting since my son left, I imagine it is the worry...the only thing that seems to help is painting what he is going through...It seems to help other moms as well, to see my work....so for now, and until my son is safely out of boot camp, I have  a feeling you will be seeing many similar scenes! Enjoy a glimpse into what goes into training the greatest Navy in the world!