Sketches of the Day



Daily Sketches numbers 21 and 22.

#21: "Heavy Laden," a Marine of 2nd Bn 8th Marines waits to board the helos to begin Operation River Liberty, July 2009.

#22: a World War I Marine, yelling at the enemy, ready to show "the Hun" what they're about to face!

The Weighty Theme Continues- Daily Sketch #19

Today's Sketches-- Variations on a Weighty Theme

Today's Scribble

This sketch is of a Marine putting on his pack and adjusting his gear--looking more like a pack animal than an infantryman! It was early in the morning, just before his unit, Echo Company, 2/8, boarded the helos and began Operation River Liberty in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, July 2009.

I was struck by how weighed down the Marine infantry were, and wondered how on earth these men could move with what looked like their entire issue of gear on their backs, including probably something called,  "field sink, kitchen!"

Of Binocs, Bottles, and Flypaper...

Marines on post.

Tedium.

Eternal Vigilance at constant odds with Gruelling Monotony.

These Marines were on post at FOB Delhi, Afghanistan in 2009. I got to visit them, sketch their post and take photos of them as they stood guard over the perimeter. This is the latest small oil I've done from that encounter.

"Standing Post"  was the first oil sketch I did of that guard post, which I posted and discussed in a blog entry on August 14, 2009.

Moving Up in the Dust (of a Thousand Years)

Here is a watercolor sketch I did when I was in Afghanistan, depicting Echo Company of the 2nd Battalion 8th Marine Regiment moving up to the LZ at FOB Dwyer to kick off Operation River Liberty (see yesterday's post for video and photos...).

The dust kicked up by this large column of Marines made me think of ancient Greek phalanxes marching in Persia, or of Napoleonic formations positioning on some battlefield. It was a timeless image in that way.

That is the silver thread that connects combat artists depicting war throughout the centuries, with those who practise war. The timeless nature of war as human experience, and the need for humans to express themselves and make a mark on history, has formed a profound and lasting connection between art and war, creation and destruction. It is a bond which will last until Image and Sword are drawn no more.

Note: I am planning to execute a larger oil painting with similar composition and layout, which will be partially inspired by John Singer Sargent's oil painting, Gassed, in the Imperial War Museum in London.

The glowing yellows, pinks and lavenders (as well as the umbers and ochres) are the same today in Afghanistan as Sargent depicted them on the Western Front in 1918.

Operation River Liberty

Here is a video I took in Afghanistan on the 2nd of July, when Marines of the 2nd Bn 8th Marines (specifically Fox and Echo Companies) boarded CH53s at FOB Dwyer and kicked off Operation River Liberty (AKA Operation Kanjar) the mission being to occupy key points in the Helmand River Valley, provide security and stability to the civilian population, and deny the battlespace to the Taliban.

Note: while watching the video, notice how much gear the Marines have to carry. It's a lot heavier than it looks, especially when you add up the weight of the body armor and helmets, the ammo, food and water, and their packs which contain all the necessities of living in the field. It's not too bad if you're young, and if it's in the winter months, and you can put your gear down once in a while...!

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Here are some photos of Marines from Echo Company 2/8 as they geared up and boarded the helos for Operation River Liberty a little later that morning, July 2, 2009: