Acrylic on canvas

II served in the U.S. Navy from 1978 to 1986 after earning a commission through NROTC at the University of Wisconsin. I took up painting with acrylics when I retired at the end of 2022. It was a Godsend. It quickly became my passion. I lean towards realism while painting portraits, landscapes, animals, birds, ships and planes. Everything I now know about painting I learned by watching YouTube tutorials, which are an excellent source for anyone wanting to take up any creative pastime. I was inspired to paint this piece after seeing a photo of my best friend Henry Scheller in his kayak taken by his wife Margie while on vacation. Both Henry and Margie are retired Navy officers, and my wife Geri was a Navy nurse at Balboa Naval Hospital from 1979 to 1984. They continually inspire me to continue painting. GO NAVY!

Wood carving

I served 25 years on Active Duty in the United States Army, dedicating my career to serving our nation and retiring as a Master Sergeant in the US Army Special Forces. Although I have practiced various forms of art and craft as a hobby since childhood, it was after retiring in 2012—and while facing leukemia and the many challenges that followed—that art became something much more meaningful to me.

Creating art has been deeply cathartic. It gives me a way to transform my experiences into something positive while bringing a sense of pride, recognition, and joy to the faces of veterans when I create something that represents their service and sacrifice.

My primary medium is wood, but my work incorporates many disciplines, including milling, finishing, carving, wood burning, clay sculpture, painting, and other techniques. Combining these mediums gives me numerous avenues to express myself creatively while telling the stories of those who have served.

This piece, titled “DD214,” was created as both a personal representation of my military service and an example of my work. Constructed on an approximately two-inch-thick slab of Dark Walnut that I milled and dried myself, the 36-inch sculpture incorporates the awards, decorations, deployments, and experiences that defined my service from 1986 to 2013.

I created this piece knowing that it would serve as a tangible reminder of my service for generations after I am gone. In the spirit of America250 NC, “DD214” reflects “Visions of Freedom” and “Common Ground”—the freedom we defend and the shared bond of service that connects Americans across generations.

Iron

1993-2000, Active Duty Army

Art calm ms my mind. Instead of getting caught up in my thoughts, I can focus my energy on creating something. For me, art provides a healthy outlet and is a better use of my time.

To me, there is no wrong way to create art. My chosen medium allows me to be creative without worrying about making mistakes. I give myself the freedom to take chances, experiment with different ideas and techniques, and explore where the process takes me. I enjoy seeing how something develops and discovering the outcome along the way. This freedom allows me to express myself creatively and enjoy the experience of creating without feeling limited by rules or expectations.

As a child, I always enjoyed crafts and making things with my hands. Although I did not formally practice art for many years, my interest in being creative has always been there. I have recently found my way back to art and enjoy exploring different ways to express myself through creating.

I like the art I create to have a purpose. I needed a sturdy vase, so I decided to create one that was both functional and meaningful. The vase is made of iron, which represents strength, resilience, and the ability to withstand challenges. I added sun shapes to represent warmth, hope, and the light we carry with us through life. The circles represent connection, wholeness, and the continuous journey of life. I also incorporated eucalyptus, which represents healing, renewal, and new beginnings. Together, these elements remind me of the strength we develop through life, the importance of growth and renewal, and the beauty of continuing to move forward.

Watercolor on paper

I served in the military for 23 years. I 'discovered' watercolors shortly before I retired from my second career as a high school teacher. I started learning to paint with watercolors by following tutorials on YouTube. I find watercolor painting to be very relaxing. My son (an Army vet) owns this unique looking dog and I felt he would be fun to paint.

Oil on panel

I create oil paintings that explore human connection—the experiences, relationships, and memories that connect us across generations and time. Through light, atmosphere, and storytelling, I seek to capture more than what is visible and invite viewers to pause, reflect, and discover the deeper meaning within familiar moments.

My work is inspired by nature, the human condition, and the mystery of existence. Experiences of hardship, solitude, observation, and time spent in nature have shaped the way I see the world and deepened my awareness of the connections that surround us every day.

Through each painting, I explore memory, connection, and the unseen qualities that unite us. Ultimately, my hope is to create a lasting connection between the artwork and the viewer, allowing each painting to become part of a larger, shared human story.

Charcoal drawing

I served in the U.S Army for 8.5 years. After I was medically discharged, in 2019, my first civilian job was working at Jerry’s Artarama. While there, I asked every art related question I could think of and tried every medium I could get my hands on. I drew here and there as a child, but I never considered myself an artist back then. Jerry’s was where I fell in love with oil painting. It turned out I happened to be pretty good at it.

Since then, art has become my passion and my escape. I have been a practicing artist for 7 years and I know this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. Last year, I took a leap and resigned my position at my job and enrolled in school to pursue art full time. This jump introduced me to charcoal drawing which I love as much as oil painting. The ability to capture great detail through patience; building layer upon layer.

This work is inspired by Vanitas. With this work, my aim was to capture one’s transition through life. The heart begins to beat, forming who we are as individuals. As we come into ourselves, we find joy in the little things. Trinkets and souvenirs; reminders of a life well lived. Then eventually, inevitably, we depart. Leaving behind our bodies and all our worldly possessions. Returning to the earth to produce more life.

Digital Illustration print on Dibond

I served 5 years in the Army as an electronics technician and 3 years in the Army Reserve as a public affairs specialist. The first job sharpened my Ping Pong skills, the latter taught me photography and introduced me to graphic design. While in the Reserves I enrolled in design school and finally achieved my lifelong goal of becoming a professional artist. Despite what my guidance counselor said many years ago, art does in fact pay the bills. While I do have what I guess would be called a classical education, I’ve found that digital illustration suits my style remarkably well and requires far fewer erasers. My art has always been more on the graphical side. I assumed that creating parody cereal box art and album covers when I was a teenager was just a quirky thing to do, not a career choice. This particular piece is inspired by the inevitable loss of people you once thought were invincible as you grow older and is part of a larger series of work that obviously takes a page from comic books and not-so-obviously from medieval illuminated manuscripts, two seemingly disparate art forms that are inherently linked as siblings of graphic design.

Acrylic and ink

I have been practicing art since I was 8 years old my Art is a gift from God without any formal art education My art has helped me in so many ways it allows me to express my emotions in a therapeutic manner. I can express myself and fulfill my passion for Art

Acrylic on canvas

I served 10 years in the United States Army and am a disabled American veteran who lives with PTSD. Art and painting help quiet my thoughts and provide a release for emotions and experiences that can be difficult to express in words. Painting also gives form and vision to my nightmares, allowing me to take what exists in my mind and place it on canvas.

I have practiced visual art for more than 15 years. I work primarily in abstract expressionism and mixed media, using acrylic paint and other materials intuitively. Rather than beginning with a fixed plan, I allow emotion, color, texture, and movement to guide the work. This process gives me a visual language for experiences that words sometimes cannot fully express.

Frantic is an expression of how some of my nightmares physically impact my body. The painting gives visual form to the fear, tension, and physical response that can remain even after the nightmare itself has ended.

Photography

Tina Yawn is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, the wife of a retired Navy veteran, and the proud mother of five adult children and grandmother of five grandchildren. Creative expression has always been a part of who Tina is, whether through music, sewing, painting, or photography. When she is not spending time with one of her children or grandchildren, she can often be found in the garden with either a shovel or a camera in hand.

This piece is about finding peace in an unexpected place. The scene presented itself at Fish Haul Beach, South Carolina, while I was photographing the sunset. It drew me away from the task at hand and caused me to wonder at the peace that might be found by simply sitting and watching the world—and its cares—drift away with the tide.

I hope that you, the viewer, can find your own Moment of Peace as you spend time with this photograph.

Japanese water marbling print

I am SC Carl Childs a Master Leather Artisan and Fine Artist. I have been in a Creation mode ever since my parents first gave me crayons, markers and paint. Japanese Water Marbling work is an ode to my parents for being beekeepers and builders of my solid foundation. Special Operations in the US Army built right on top of that foundation making my will, focus, determination and creativity magnified 1000 fold. Every cut, stitch or line drawn demands an absolute presence of mind. A fierce resolve to bring forms into the world through mediums of leather, ink and paint. I work Rare Arts and strive to teach everyone I meet to ignite the fire of creativity within and become the best version of yourself.

Photography

I've had artistic inclinations since I was very young, and truly appreciate this opportunity to share with other artists and the public. I was in the Army for 4 years, Cold War era. This photo was one of my favorites from last year's dream trip to Kenya and Tanzania. Male and female leopards only spend time together during mating season, after which the female raises the cubs on her own, so this was a relatively rare sighting.

Book of short stories

I enjoy writing engaging short stories that convey valuable life lessons, helping readers reflect and apply these insights to their own lives. My goal is to express profound truths through my narratives. I strive to transport readers to different worlds, times, or places they may not encounter in other novels. My new release is "Sophia, Lessons for the Unschooled Mind."

Acrylic painting

9.5 years active duty

Art has helped me express my emotions and experiences in a healthy way.

Painting animals helps me to portray deep connections people have with them.

I've been painting for about 4 years now.

This painting is about the connection with a therapy horse and a veteran, the horse and veteran can share the ups and downs of life without a single word spoken.

Watercolor on paper

I was a US Air Force Nurse from 1985-1988, stationed in Abilene, Texas. It was my previlege to serve as a nurse in the Air Force. I came to Raleigh 3 years ago for the VA Blind Rehab program. I love art. I learned how to work with many different art forms through a partnership between VA Rec Therapy Blind Rehab and The Joel Fund. I have worked with clay, watercolor painting, woodcarving, but clay is my favorite. Time stops when I'm working with clay. I can express myself through clay in a different way more than other mediums. For this piece, the water in the fountain represents the resources from The Joel Fund, VA Rec Therapy, and Blind Rehab that support me.

Pencil drawing

My military career spanned 24 years that included the active duty Navy Nurse Corps and the Air National Guard as a tactical flight nurse. I served in both peacetime and in combat deployments. When I returned from the combat deployments there was no debriefing nor were there mechanisms in place to assist in integrating us back to "normal" life. Upon retirement from the Air National Guard, the out-processing covered only the necessary paperwork needed to separate. There was no guidance on how to move forward without military life. Creating art became a powerful language for processing mental health in my transition to post-military life.

I am a self taught artist who didn't come into my peak creativity until my senior years. I had previously been "creative" but never fully developed an art style until about 12 years ago when I took a few classes on a variety of painting medias. The art I create spans from acrylic and watercolor painting, archival ink, pencil drawing, colored pencil, and mixed media. I lean toward mixed media because it combines both a less defined style with my tendency for creating photorealist art. Many of my pieces channel my emotions of living with the ever changing effects of PTSD. What is difficult to express verbally is, for me, more easily relayed through creating a piece of art from a blank canvas or paper.

Hard Acrylic sheet with oil overlay

Michael Buenrostro is an immersive storyteller whose art bridges lived experience, memory, and technology. His creative journey began in a fifth-grade classroom in Salinas Valley, California, where a teacher’s free-flow writing exercise sparked a lifelong passion for imagination. Inspired by the sensory storytelling of Steinbeck’s Salinas, Michael transforms his own experiences, from the strawberry fields to Special Forces Commando Missions in Hashish Fields, into visual narratives that invite viewers to step inside a day in the 7th Group's Commando mission trip, alongside 4th Kandak, 2010-2011. Michael’s galleries explore themes of camaraderie, learning, family, and resilience, each anchored by the enduring bonds of friendship that have defined his journey to the Southeast.

Pastels

Captain, US Marine Corps - 1968 – 1973

Vietnam helicopter pilot, 1970-71, 698 combat missions, Air Medal and Purple Heart

I was a successful businessman after leaving the Marines. I retired in 2017, recognizing that possibly PTSD was interfering with my work. I sought help at the VA. Structured PTSD counseling helped a great deal, yet I continued to struggle with unpredictable panic attacks and night terrors. I thought maybe art therapy could help. “I want to take my photographs from Viet Nam and color over them with colored pencils”. But the VA did not have an art therapy program. Then something magical happened.

I saw an article about an artist who is a clinical therapist who lived in Knightdale. My hometown. I contacted Lamar Whidbee and he agreed to work with me. My art therapy and first paintings began in October, 2023.

My early paintings were images of Vietnam. They were therapeutic, I recalled stuffed away memories. I then discovered pastels, a medium that encouraged me to use different tools, explore methods and soak up the teachings of various artists. I had addressed my demons by finding a purpose in painting.

I flew medevac in RVN. The marines and soldiers I picked up, and those that helped to save their fellow warriors were inspiration for this painting. It’s a blur of images, faces and names. This foreign land. A battlefield filled with violence, painful memories and evidence of struggle. Our sacrifice on common ground assured freedom at home.

Ceramic

I joined the Army in 1968. I served in Vietnam in 1969-70. I received a commission in the Navy in 1980 and served active and reserves for 30 years. I retired in 2010 after a tour of duty in Iraq in 2009. I continued doing pottery and sculpture because it provided an avenue for my creative side. Working in clay allows me the flexibility of forms and styles of expression, both in traditional pottery and modern sculpture. I have been working in clay since I returned from Vietnam in 1970. In this piece I was able to show the symmetry of traditional wheel throwing with the addition of hand sculpting showing the organic element of clay. Working in clay demonstrates my philosophy of life…..like clay, we are capable of shaping our lives with the changes and trials life deals us.

Painting on canvas

I served in the Air Force for 21 years. Art has helped me overcome a variety of life challenges. I like using acrylic paint because I find them easier to use than other mediums. I have been doing various forms of art since I retired in 2006. I really started painting a lot after the sudden passing of my wife in 2023. This piece of art was inspired by a photograph i took from my brother's sailboat while in harbor.

Felt

Desert Storm challenged me in so many ways, but there were moments of respite. I chose to create this sunset.in the desert as a depiction of one of those pre-war moments to breathe before the storm. I've crafted in various forms since I can remember. TJF Operation Art brought me back to crafting as an outlet to destress and enjoy communicationg and sharing with others.

Screenprint

I’m an artist and art professor, and for me, making art has always been the best way to process experiences. Honestly, I’ve been creating things for as long as I can remember. Art connects everything I’ve been through, including my twenty years serving in the Marine Corps. My prints look at the absurdity of the visual world and total disconnection we all feel, which definitely ties back to my time in the military. I like working with my hands and the actual process of printmaking. There’s something very satisfying about the creating the design, mapping out the plan, prepping the matrix, mixing up the inks, and finally pulling a print, by hand or on the press. It takes focus, but it’s incredibly rewarding.That love for experimenting is exactly what sparked my Devil’s Coloring Book series. I was playing around with different shapes, playing with color transparencies, and mixing typography with graphic imagery. I wanted to see how I could mash all those different elements together into single, chaotic compositions. This series really brings together my background as a veteran and my passion as a creator, turning abstract ideas and intense memories into something you can see and feel.

Pastel

I served in the Army for four years, and art has always been a part of my life. After my military service, art continued to give me a way to express myself, process my emotions, and focus on something positive. My chosen medium allows me to turn feelings and experiences into something creative and meaningful. The inspiration for this piece came from a veteran friend who asked me to create and submit a piece with her. At the time, I wasn’t feeling my best, but I decided to say yes, thinking of all the people who are down but still say "I'm Ok". I took a picture of myself in that moment and it served as my inspiration. Creating this piece gave me something positive to focus on and reminded me that even during difficult moments, I can still create.

Hurry! Hurry up!

Were going to be late,

Lets go, hop in,

Rush, rush,

Quickly now!

Put you in the car seat,

Get you strapped in tight.

A tiny hand reaching up,

Fingers spread,

Wiggling in a shaft,

Of sunlight,

Dancing in the light,

Of creation.

The broadest grin,

Spreads across your face,

Joyous laughter,

Pouring from your soul.

Contagious happiness,

We both start to laugh,

Playing in the sunlight.

I pause and take it in,

Another lesson,

A reminder to embrace,

The journey’s joy,

And not the struggle,

Wisdom,

From little hands,

And a huge heart,

Filling up my cup again.

Mark Bartholomew grew up in eastern North Carolina working at a small local science and nature museum. He served as an US Army combat medic with a tour in Iraq from 2003-2004. Returning home, he struggled with PTSD and a traumatic brain injury. Nature, writing, and art have all been integral in Mark’s healing journey. Now Mark and his wife, Brittany, operate Blooming Daisy Homestead, an educational farm in Spring Hope, NC while raising their four boys. The farm allows them to share their passion for nature, the arts, and science while building a community.

Pencil on paper

My name is Cpt William Landis with the Army Reserves. I am not submitting my work, but the work of my father in law, Stanford Lewis, who was a Vietnam veteran from Elizabeth City, NC. Because of what he experienced in that war, he had a lot of challenges when he returned home. He was quite the artist and I wanted the opportunity to present his work for him to receive the honor as an artist that he never received in life.

Photography

During a backpacking journey, twelve veterans accustomed to missions and schedules gathered at Mirror Lake, where dense fog concealed Mount Rainier and its reflection. Waiting for the view became a tense invitation to sit with our thoughts, shared experiences, and the weight of service. This photograph captures the mountain and its reflection after the fog mostly lifted. The accompanying poem explores that movement from urgency toward presence, healing, and the freedom to choose our next mission.