I just discovered a painter’s “ramblings” of his Iraq tour. He has a wonderful gift, and makes some ugly sites look delightful! For example, here is his drawing of the CHU (a shipping container used for living quarters).
Watercolor by SKIP ROHDE
Kenneth lives in one down in Hilla. I bet he would love to have his look as pretty as this one.
But what caught my eye initially was Mr. Rohde’s blog entry on Iraqi children’s drawings:
What got my attention was just how normal these drawings are. They could have been done by any kid in the United States. Here are happy families with little houses in the countryside with flowers and trees and puffy clouds. I’m not quite sure what that thing is in the sky in the bottom picture – a bird? a bug? – but for sure it isn’t threatening. All the figures have big happy smiles on their faces. These are happy drawings from happy kids.
Below are a couple of Iraqi kids. I hope Mr. Rohde does not mind I copied his images. Go visit his blog and website and check out his Pieta.
"I came to Baghdad in the summer of 2008 to work for the State Department for a year. I keep my sketchbook with me almost all the time and use it to record my visual impressions of Iraq. Everyday experience here is different than it is in the United States. Violence and combat are never far away, either metaphorically or in reality. The things I'm called to draw reflect that: soldiers, armored vehicles, barricades, and more. Normally, I work in oil on canvas. But that option is not available to me in Iraq, nor is it appropriate. These sketches are visual notes - observations that I might be able to use in some future paintings. In the meantime, I think they are interesting in their own right." Artist: SKIP ROHDE
Thanks to Mudville Gazette.
