Courage, sacrifice, and resilience are at the forefront of “Salute”, the latest exhibition from Ardest Gallery in The Woodlands, TX. Through the month of November, this heartfelt collection pays homage to our nation’s veterans, capturing their stories and experiences through the language of art. The majority of the works on hand were produced by veterans. And then there is the rare straggler (like mine) done by a non-veteran, eager to show his gratitude through creativity.
Military personnel have always been heroic figures to me. I look up to the men and women who sacrifice and serve. The amount of courage it takes to enter this field is hard to quantify. As more and more stories of veterans struggling to find peace upon return become prevalent, I think it’s upon us to try and understand their plight.
On Friday, to kick off the show, retired Marine Brandon Dillon read from his book of poetry, The Mad Ramblings of a Joker, in which he gave the audience a dose of hard truth: our veterans are suffering. His performance was powerful. Stunning. It was a reminder that we civilians have no idea what combat veterans go through and the best thing we can do to help is listen. The book is great. I highly recommend it.
©2023 Jeff Lung
My piece in this show, entitled “Courage”, is an ode to the heroic silhouettes that march in my head whenever I picture a military scene. I grew up playing with toy soldiers and watching Vietnam war movies. As I matured and came to grasp the harsh reality of life — that war exists, that individuals sacrifice with their lives — I gained a profound understanding of the extraordinary level of courage it demands.
Here I try to show that profundity in black and white.
“Salute” is on view now through the month of November at the Ardest Gallery in the Woodlands, TX. Stop by to see for yourself. Take some art home! A portion of all proceeds will be donated to the Montgomery County VFW.
My wife and I recently went to a high school football game. Sitting a couple of rows below us were 7 to 8 twelve to thirteen year old boys playing grabass and tormenting each other as boys that age tend to do. I told my wife that some of them would one day likely make good Marines. We laughed. And, if and when they do, nice words will be said about them and their sacrifices. But when I think of my own son (who didn’t serve) and my grandsons and granddaughter (who all might one day), my thoughts are sobered and tormented by the final four lines of Wilfred Owen’s great poem from WWI ” Dulce et Decorum est”:
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.*
That said, I was still a proud participant at “Salute” and pleased to show my artwork even while humbled by the display of the powerful art by the other artists.
*Latin phrase is from the Roman poet Horace: “It is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country.”
What a great comment! Thanks so much for sharing, Ken, and thanks also for your service! We are grateful beyond belief!
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