These Boots are Made for Marching.....

8x10 oil on panel

I painted this before I left for my workshop last week but didn't have time to post it, so here it is now.....If you've been following my Boot Camp series, you know my son in in Great Lakes IL becoming a sailor in finest Navy in the world :)  He has less than a week left and I will be traveling to Waukegan to see him graduate...I am soooo proud, there are no words.....


Also, something for me to look forward to when I get back is an art form I've wanted to try for a long time...I used to do a lot of glass fusing before I started painting, and have somehow wanted to try to meld the two together....Kelly Alge has mastered it and is going to give a workshop on the ins and outs of Sgraffito drawing in glass.....Please visit her BLOG , her work is incredible.... Here is what I will be learning

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!

Anchors Aweigh

5x7 oil on panel Click HERE to bid on original.  bid starts at $1 shipping is free.

well, I did paint a flower today, and it was a major flop, and after hearing all the happy moms on the Navy For Moms website that are headed to Great Lakes this weekend for their kid's Pass in Review (boot camp graduation) I was inspired to paint something different, and it will likely become at least a weekly challenge for me in honor of the graduating recruits and their moms that have helped support me through this.  "Anchors Aweigh" is the Navy theme song and it plays at their pass in review.  The recruits know it well, they sing it often during boot camp.  I loved painting these young soldiers, esp from  behind because I'm not so good with figures! Any mom of a sailor is welcome to use/copy/print this for their personal use. I signed this one a little different today, in honor of all the moms that miss their sailors.

added note: one of the Navy moms asked me how I could part with this.  My answer to that is easy, if I sell this, the proceeds  goes towards the expenses of seeing my own son's pass-in-review where I get to see his face!