In the studio today. Drawing and erasing. Investigating the concept of military service men and women being reduced to just numbers. This drawing will become part of the painting behind it.
I drew all the faces on paper and then erased them. Much in the same way that individual people become unimportant as the members of the US armed forces simply become represented by a number.
I deeply respect the men and women who serve in our military and appreciate their hard work and sacrifice on many different levels. As I also come from a military family I have personal experience with the subject.
It is what happens to the service members on paper, in logistics or when fighting a war that I am investigating. They become just another body or a number on paper.
When presidents or governments wage war they often show little concern for human life in regards to sending young people off to fight. If it were their own children I imagine that they might think twice about it.
As war is a serious thing and immense thought and consideration should be given to the motives, intentions, probable outcomes and what is in the best interests of the people. Many leaders forget that they work for and represent us.
I used the drawing as an image transfer in the final collaged work along with acrylic paint, magazine clippings, tags, metal, and other found material.
