thedrifter
02-06-08, 05:24 AM
Mural captures life in the military
KEVIN FORSYTHE
February 6, 2008 - 12:59AM
DAILY NEWS STAFF
http://images.onset.freedom.com/jdn/1202277771-0206b1mural.jpg
A recently dedicated mural on display in the main corridor of the John A. Lejeune Education Center could serve to rewrite the old saying "a picture is worth a thousand words."
Instead, the new 5 foot-by-9 foot mural, "The Unspoken Life" can be translated to say that a picture tells of a thousand emotions.
Cynthia Rose, senior director of Webster University, Camp Lejeune, served as the primary artistic force in creating the mural, which is dedicated to the men and women of all branches of the U.S. military.
Rose's inspiration came from the many phone calls and e-mails she had received from her graduate students who had been deployed as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
"Often they would talk of their loneliness away from families and the concern they had - not of themselves but of their loved ones left behind," Rose said.
The mural depicts various elements and emotions of military personal from the time they are deployed to their homecoming from the war.
The idea for the mural first came to Rose last March. After several months of thinking through her vision, she enlisted the help of Wilmington graphic artist Robert Ramsey to help fine tune the design and do some of the sketch work.
Rose and Ramsey designed the mural in such a way that untrained artists could successfully contribute to the work.
It took another five months and hundreds of volunteer hours for the mural to be completed.
Working in acrylics, 11 volunteers did most of the painting. The volunteer artists were comprised of both military personnel and civilians.
"None of the volunteers had an artistic background," said Rose. "(The volunteer artists) were there simply because they care."
Contact Kevin Forsythe at kforsythe@freedomenc.com or 910-353-1171, ext. 8449. Visit www.jdnews.com to comment on this report.
Ellie
KEVIN FORSYTHE
February 6, 2008 - 12:59AM
DAILY NEWS STAFF
http://images.onset.freedom.com/jdn/1202277771-0206b1mural.jpg
A recently dedicated mural on display in the main corridor of the John A. Lejeune Education Center could serve to rewrite the old saying "a picture is worth a thousand words."
Instead, the new 5 foot-by-9 foot mural, "The Unspoken Life" can be translated to say that a picture tells of a thousand emotions.
Cynthia Rose, senior director of Webster University, Camp Lejeune, served as the primary artistic force in creating the mural, which is dedicated to the men and women of all branches of the U.S. military.
Rose's inspiration came from the many phone calls and e-mails she had received from her graduate students who had been deployed as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
"Often they would talk of their loneliness away from families and the concern they had - not of themselves but of their loved ones left behind," Rose said.
The mural depicts various elements and emotions of military personal from the time they are deployed to their homecoming from the war.
The idea for the mural first came to Rose last March. After several months of thinking through her vision, she enlisted the help of Wilmington graphic artist Robert Ramsey to help fine tune the design and do some of the sketch work.
Rose and Ramsey designed the mural in such a way that untrained artists could successfully contribute to the work.
It took another five months and hundreds of volunteer hours for the mural to be completed.
Working in acrylics, 11 volunteers did most of the painting. The volunteer artists were comprised of both military personnel and civilians.
"None of the volunteers had an artistic background," said Rose. "(The volunteer artists) were there simply because they care."
Contact Kevin Forsythe at kforsythe@freedomenc.com or 910-353-1171, ext. 8449. Visit www.jdnews.com to comment on this report.
Ellie