Along with the prints that I have to sell, I am introducing a special edition of "A Military Experience - A Parent's Perspective" Boxed 12 Card Sets, featuring the four paintings selected as covers for the 2nd Marine Divisions "Follow Me" quarterly publications. They are $20.00 for a set, shipping included (ordering info. below).
The first cover of "Follow Me" was the pastel "Daddy Don't Go" out last April-May-June 2012, which contains an interview with Dave Brown, Executive Director, Sgt Maj, USMC retired. For July-August-September, the oil of Forest came out in "I'm Out Here, Did You Forget Me?". Both issues have brief Cover Stories inside and advertisements for prints. With the new quarterly magazine issues to come, there will be "Role Models" and "Homecoming Hug" with their stories to tell also.
"Role Models"
premiers Oct-Nov-Dec
Click on my contact page for email and address information either on my blog "Ordering Page or www.artisticimpressionsbyblair.com.
The website is not fully functional yet, so you will need to send a check or money order to Artistic Impressions.
Please consider purchasing cards or prints as this is the driving force to fund the traveling of these paintings around the country, so your support here is greatly needed and appreciated!
"Homecoming Hug"
premiers Jan-Feb-March
I also am in need of a vehicle to get the paintings to thier upcoming destinations. A sponsor (corporate or personal) that might help in procuring a Chrysler Town & Country or a Dodge Caravan minivan that can hold the series and their easels would make this traveling exhibition happen with ease.
More card sets yet to come of different prints. If you are a friend on my facebook pages please help vote for the next four prints. (Kind of timely, so vote now if you can!)
Updates first on where the paintings for "A military Experience - A Parentt's Perspective" have been and where they are going next. On July 4th nine of the 21 paintings were on display with rheir stories at the Syracuse Cheif's game (they won!), along with my Syracuse Marine Parent's and the Gregory Harris Courtesy Room. I was able to present thir stories through my paintings. Currently, I am looking for a corporate sponsor to help this series move around the country. The goal is to tell their stories to an American public around the country that does not know what our military is going through along with the families that stand behind them. I was not part of a military family until my son Lcpl Forest Blair, USMC who was sworn in the day after he graduated high school and then went on to earn the tittle of United States Marine. I am so proud of him and have been amazed at the character of every Marine I have met and come to know whether in passing or by painting.
America, you need to know these family members of mine. I love them all and I think you should get to know them. If you are reading this and would like to help either by purchasing a print or by sponsoring this endeavor, please contact me by email at www.artisticimpressionsbyblair@gmail.com.
The next venue for showing all 19 of the series' paintings will be July 19th at the following:
AmeriCU Fort Drum will be hosting a Business After Hours in conjunction with the Watertown Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, July 19th, 5PM-7PM at our AmeriCU location on Fort Drum. Please join us!
When: Thursday, July 19th, 2012, 5PM-7PM
Where: AmeriCU Financial Center - 10750 Enduring Freedom Drive, Fort Drum
Enter to win a grand prize giveaway - a gas grill!
Please contact Erin Ballard, ErinB@americu.org to RSVP by Monday, July 16th.
More posting to come later today.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Forest is now back from Jordan and has enjoyed his first celebration of our country's Independence Day parades and fireworks since 2008. Happy Fourth Forest!
For me it was a celebration at the Syracuse Chief's Game to share their stories from my "A Military Series- A Parent's Perspective". It is always a joy to show these paintings and is truly a labor of love for my 3/6 Battalion and Syracuse Marine Parent's son's.
Most importantly, my focus on this series is and always has been on my subjects. You see, for me as an artist, the fame doesn't mean a thing to me. Their sacrifice for this nation needs to hit the heart of every American and that is story I tell with a most grateful heart. So my heart to yours America, here is the newest painting in process. It is in honor to the 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Division at Camp Lejeurne, called "Guardians of Freedom"'s first layer. (I will be posting the photo a little later tonight)
The Marines did good work over there in Jordan. They had a couple days to tour ruins and the canyons of Petra. What a wonderful opportunity to see the world for these men.
May is an exciting month for military families. It is time to honor them. We tell America, we are here and for the citizens of this nation; you live in a freedom paid for at great cost. Our sons and daughters willingly stand in harms way for you. So just what have I been doing with my brush and those paintings?
On May 12th I started with "Armed Forces Day" at the Syracuse Chiefs Game (they were traveling on the actual May 19th celebration). Nine of the paintings in my series traveled with me to their game (we won - of course!) This was another opportunity to show these paintings and let people know their stories.
There was a special Honor and Remember Flag at the Opening Ceremonies given to Rick and Lorie Schneider, our Gold Star Parent's
who lost their son Cpl Kyle Schneider, USMC last year while serving in
Afghanistan.
Our Gold Star parents are working through this difficult year by starting a scholarship fund in his memory.
My brush has not been idle. I have been working at the North Syracuse VFW here in New York on an antique shuffle board. The Veterans asked if I would paint their 5 of the Military Insignia's on the surface of the table. Mayor Mark Atkinson had seen my military paintings that I had presented back in January to the North Syracuse Art Guild at the North Syracuse VFW. He asked what I would charge and I told him this one is on me. And of course, I learn through my experiences with unique challenges. When I am at home, I can get lost in my work at my easel. All those long hours spent in
one setting at home is vastly different when it comes to the open and available hours at the VFW (can't take that 30 foot shuffle board home with me to work on) Sooooo, it took a long time to get that painted. But today, on the eve of their Memorial Day Open House, I finished it!
Many many hours work.
Though there are many that take these national holidays as another way to party, our Veterans at the VFW Post 7290 have raised their glasses in memory to all who have gone on before them. We honor their service.
And just to go out and celebrate finishing, I treated myself to one of my favorite Memorial Day Events - The Vietnam Veteran's Watchfire in Central New York. On this eve of Memorial Day, we take time to retire our flags that are torn and tattered. The formal Watchfire Service honors all those that have given their lives in service to our country and to remember our military that are serving today around the world.
It was a hot one too. As the fire consumed the flags and sent us back from the heat, Rick and Lorie launched a sky lantern (we all signed messages to Kyle) as a way to say, "Love you to the moon and back. Goodnight Kyle".
Tomorrow is the Parade in North Syracuse and the VFW's Open House.
After that we go to cemeteries with my parents to our families own remembrance day. We hear the stories of our eccentric Great Uncle Babe (he was independently wealthy from an earthworm farm) who carpeted his gardens to keep the weeds down and my Great, Great Grandpa who sold Snake Oil when he arrived here in the United States of America.
Now that I have worked through all this stuff stay tuned, in a couple of days I will have more news on the blog for my next two paintings and the next 2nd Marine Division's Magazine "Follow Me" covers.
The April, May, June issue to the 2nd Marine Divisions Periodical called "Follow Me" will have "Daddy Don't Go" on the cover along the story and an interview article by Lt Col David B. Brown, USMC (Ret.). For all who are looking at my blog today, my website is up and almost running with a shopping cart page that is under construction. Go to http://www.artisticimpressionsbyblair.com.
If you want to purchase a print for now you can email me at artisticimpressionsbyblair@gmail.com or call my home phone at 315-458-0846 (if not there please leave a message and I will get back to you so you can place an order). Please include along with your contact information, the title and size of the giclee print you would like. Thank you.
And here it is! "A Time For Peace" with Lcpl Forest Blair and his Rachel walking along Top Sail Beach the day after Homecoming from Afghanistan. What a relief and special time this is. The day was windy, the sun was so bright as Forest and Rachel walked along with our family's. It all was so peaceful and even in January it was 60 degrees, enough for Rachel to take off her shoes and walk along the beach. They have so much to say and so much to share.
Our Marines live life to the fullest. When they are home from war, they transit from that foreign land with all its challenges to their family, the purpose for the protection they provide. To you, the American citizen, you may not understand the price freedom, so selflessly fought for - costs.
While I was working on this at home, Forest is continuing his professional steps in the military. I am very proud of this young marine.
The painting is an acrylic, utilizing fluid acrylics brought down to a watercolor state with many layers of washes. There are acrylic mediums used from the Light Molding Paste base to the 4th gloss gel medium coat over the top and more Light Moulding Paste was knifed over stencils for the figures and reed in the foreground. Several Interference colors were used to deepen the luminosity of of the waves under the surf and Large Mica flakes were sunk into the Course Pumas Gel in the sand beneath their feet.
As I traveled back and forth from work and home creating my painting, our shipper receiver kept telling me the painting needs more drama in it, like a shark. When the boys were younger they used to see my landscapes and ask, "Where's the Sasquatch?" I always entertained the idea of painting in a Sasquatch in some obscure shadow in the background.
Well, one day I walked into the art room to find...
You guessed it. A Shark! All I needed was a Jaws theme song running. Yes Pat, we laughed for days.
The sharks were removed to protect the innocent.
Lcpl Forest Blair, USMC addresses
the children of "Kingdom Kidz at Word of life Church
Forest is back at Camp Lejeune. What the men of the 3/6 Battalion do on and off the battlefield are truly amazing and inspirational. I ,as so many of us, have such a deep sense of gratitude for all of my 3/6 Heroes, everyone.
Time for another painting that I have been scouring over images to find just the right subject(s) in the last two years. For my 3/6 Battalion I am stretching canvas to 34"x50" (the size of a billowing American flag that will be my background). The piece will be called, "Guardians of Freedom", bearing a quote from Andrew Jackson's Farewell Address in 1837. On top of that will be several images of the 3/6 Battalion.
I fell in love with these words written so long ago:
"...Providence has showered on this favored land blessings without number, and has chosen you, as the guardians of freedom, to preserve it for the benefit of the human race. May he who holds in his hands the destinies of nations make you worthy of the favors he has bestowed, and enable you, with pure hearts, and pure hands, and sleepless vigilance, to guard and defend to the end of time the great charge he has committed to your keeping..." - Andrew Jackson's Farewell Address
Lcpl Gabe Rainey, USMC, kia 2010
Here are a few of the photo references so far selected.
3/6 transfering post to 2/9 (not sure on this one)
.JPG)
