Early this year Mr. David Brady, a West Los Angeles artist called upon the vet canter and suggested that he offer an opportunity for veterans to participate in a creative workshop.  He indicated that he had been working with a diverse group of individuals from inner city to terminally ill patients. He felt that each had found a way to express what they were feeling through art. He returned again and talked about the possibilities of providing this art experience to our veterans.  After the presentation everyone was enthusiastic so we decided to ask the veterans whether they would be interested in participating. 

The initial response was the usual one, I’m not sure, I cannot paint or I don’t have any artistic skills.  But Brady prepared a nice brochure and had an open house at his studio to lie some of the fears to rest.  After the open house about three veterans made a commitment and during the 8 weeks a total of nine veterans braved the new world experience showing up to see what was going on.

During the Open House Brady was good in sharing his own experiences.  These experiences took into account his own development as an artist to what he had been doing with other groups.  He talked about trying to get the to just take the risk of looking at something that each of us is dealing with and put it to canvas. 

Brady started out the initial sessions with a brief discussion about techniques, color and materials at their disposal at no cost.  He had people do various exercises to help them get over the inner reservations or artistic blocks and fears of expressing one’s feelings. 

The first decision was what was it that they [veterans] wanted to address.  Next came the difficult decision of what kind of form would that expression take, were they to use painting, collage, clay, found objects, photos or some combination of all. 

The weeks seemed to fly by and it was interesting watching the development and the final products.  It was interesting to watch how each of the veterans dealt with their feelings or what and how they chose to express what they were feeling.  Brady was also interested in watching the interaction of each one of them with each other.  Whether it was to support of to provide some insight into what they say in the piece or just have a sounding board to express what they were trying to get in touch with. 

  Veterans Interview

  Brady's Comments