Week 36: "Dusk in Remembrance"

Week 36: "Dusk in Remembrance"

Growing up on army bases, for me, there are a few things that I will always remember. In the morning hours I would hear the soldiers running by our window during PT, early morning trumpet calls, and I would hear taps being played while the flag was being retired at 5:00 PM everyday.  The sound of the mournful trumpet being played while the sun dipped below the skyline was something that always moved, and at the same time, haunted me.  

As I sit here painting, the day before September 11th, a day that changed this country forever, I sit and think about all those who we lost on that fateful day; and the countless men and women we have lost fighting across the ocean.  I must always remember those who have come before me, those men and women whom make it possible for me to create freely.  

Dusk lies between the dark and light, between the day and night.  It lies where reality ends and dreams begin, when the sun sets on one life into the next. It is in these moments where peace comes, and for that brief moment, the world and all the destruction and wars, are silent.  

I must state that I am a supporter of the men and women that serve this country, in protecting us from attacks such as that of September 11th, but I am not a supporter of the war.  So this September 11th, while I cannot play the taps to all those whom have fallen, I paint dusk in remembrance of them.