“Know” Obstacles

“Know” Obstacles 18x24 Acrylic 2022

In September, I was asked to participate in the Bullets and Bandaids project, a veteran-centric art therapy nonprofit focusing on facilitating relations between veterans and civilians through a collaborative touring art exhibition. In the project, veterans are interviewed and their stories are shared with civilian writers who create a written work. That story is then shared with an artist taxed with creating a piece based on this literary piece.

I received Katrina Boyd’s short story, Bear Claw Boy. It’s the story of William Robert Crossman III, a U.S. Air Force veteran who was injured during his Power Production Specialists training. His accident happened while he was fully engaged in receiving a sweet treat on the morning of his training. In pursuit, he trips over a neck high cable and tumbles on concrete.

A few weeks went by after I read the story and no vision was coming forth. On a sunny afternoon on September 19, I was sitting in the car of a local Lizard’s Thicket restaurant and saw the beautiful clouds, as described in Crossman’s story, surrounding the rooftop of the neighboring Maurice’s BBQ restaurant where the American flag was flying. However, the beautiful skyline was obstructed by electric power lines and my memories. In that moment, I had the vision for my art piece.

We never know where our obstacles might lie. Some are visible but many are not. During my stay in Columbia, the original owner of the Maurice’s franchise, erected the confederate flag at his restaurants in support of the symbol that once adorned the South Carolina State House. This visible obstacle freed me from visiting his establishment. Today, the visible Confederate flag obstacle is gone, but I have not been able to visit that restaurant. Strangely, the re-imagined restaurant in my painting was inspired by what I saw that day but in a more utopian manner. Bear Claw Cafe is a place where you see the “United” States flag proudly flying. It’s a place where you can find sweet treats and that emits sweet aromas. It’s a place standing tall for Brittney Griner. Would today’s Maurice’s have the compassion to campaign on behalf of a gay African American woman wrongly imprisoned in Russia? Not likely but this is what I envisioned and hoped for, a re-imagined military town restaurant near Crossman’s training camp where his bear claws may have been baked. The power lines in the painting represents the cables that tripped Crossman. They also clutter the beautiful sky; but, it always helps if you know where your obstacles lie, so I made them bold. The fighter jets in this military town were added to represent three generations of Crossman military service, but they also represent the hope that we can rise above our obstacles.

Note: In late October, I sent in my statement about this piece and an image of it. Concerned was expressed that the sign in my painting, Bring Brittney Home, took attention away from the veteran. Rather than entertaining any thoughts of changing it, I was happy to keep the work that was solicited for the project. Hopefully, someone else will see the beauty of my view. Know your obstacles and be willing to stand tall when you are right.