Opening up my studio for Veterans was an easy choice for me.  With so many people expressing their opinions about the current war I wanted to do something rather than just say the necessary “I support our troops”. I found that sharing my experience, studio, tools and materials would be a great forum to support the women and men that had unfortunately had to experience war. 

I found that the workshop was much more rewarding for me than I had ever expected.  To see the expression on everyone’s faces when one of the Veterans began to paint for the first time was simply worth it all for me.  The joy of letting go and simply enjoying the process, the moment without worrying about the artwork was one of the things that I wanted to share with everyone involved.

I was quite pleased that that some were able to enjoy the moment, dive in and open up  although it was a struggle for others. I think that there are many more creative projects, exercises and materials to share with the Veterans, each capable of opening new doors. 

It is great to hear that this creative workshop has resulted in some of the participants reading and writing more than prior to it.  I am also grateful for the assistance from the Jerry Melnyk, Elizabeth Abate and Diane Kawaguchi for their support and volunteering their time to this program, I could not have done it without them.  I look forward to another workshop series in the near future.  

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