Exhibit of military veterans’ art to open on Veterans Day

Bob Richey never painted a single thing when he was stationed in Germany while serving in the U.S. Army, 8th Infantry Division, during the early 1970s.

But the Warminster resident did get the opportunity to visit many of Europe’s great museums, which not only inspired a deep appreciation for art but a desire to create some of his own. As soon as he returned home to a career as an aerospace engineer, Richey began taking art classes. It wasn’t long before he was entering shows and selling his work.

“I really enjoy the creative process and that I alone am the sole creator of the final product,” says Richey, who retired from the Naval Air Development Center in 1996. “It is very humbling to think that many of my pastels will out-survive me and may be around for many generations to come.”

Now a full-time artist, he’s one of 17 veterans whose work will be featured in the Scatter Joy Center for the Art’s Annual Military Veterans Art Exhibit. Opening with a special reception on Veterans Day, it will showcase a range of styles and mediums from men and women across the region who have served across all branches of the military, including renowned historical aviation painter Gil Cohen

and Oz Freedgood, a 93-year-old World War II veteran who flew a tour of duty as a Radar Navigator-Bombardier in the 8th Air Force.

Freedgood, a graduate of The Parsons School of Design, has had an illustrious career in advertising and art, from launching his own greeting card company to becoming art director of Colourpicture Publishers and founding Whitehall Games to produce educational toys and games. Throughout his long and varied career, he has always painted and frequently exhibited his art.

What better way to commemorate our military veterans' artistic achievements,” says William Lessa, executive director of the art center, in encouraging the public to come out and support Friday's exhibit. “It will be a wonderful evening to help us honor and celebrate the work of these fine men and women."

Some pieces submitted to the show reflect the artists’ military experiences while others speak to their interests and passions post-service.

Harleysville’s Dan Fione, who participated in the art center’s first veterans exhibit last year, is returning, this time featuring works with historical military themes. Fione has been a freelance illustrator since the end of his active service with the U.S. Army, inspired by combat illustrators like Winslow Homer and fascinated by the Roman legions.

One of his recent pen and ink works, “Illustrutorian,” depicts an illustrator in a creatively rendered version of Roman Centurion battle garb.

“Throughout history, there have been a number of artists who have had military service that most people know nothing about, two of my favorites being Leonardo da Vinci (as chief military engineer for the Vatican army) … and Henry O. Tanner, an American painter who served in World War I,” says Fione, who has been commissioned by the National Park Service to create several historical military illustrations. “It’s important to show that your service in the military does not preclude you from creative or artistic endeavors.”

Whether they came to art before or after their military careers, for some veterans the creative process has been undeniably therapeutic.

Kate Cahill Vansuch, who served for six years as an army nurse, included the piece “Rescue Yourself” in her mixed media submissions for the exhibit.

“Military superiors and supervisors have told me to be less like me and more like someone else in order to be more outgoing, tougher, less sensitive, etc. I am trying not to listen to that ‘advice’ anymore and to rescue myself from all the ‘shoulds,’” says the artist, now a civilian nurse living in Warminster. “I think focusing on the creative side of former soldiers is a brilliant way to show the public that there is an important place for peace and creation in the military as opposed to only the negative aspects of the military that most people focus on.”

Last year, the art center held its inaugural Military Veterans Exhibit to correspond with the nation’s Fourth of July celebrations. Lessa says he’s excited to again be hosting the show, this time on Veterans Day.

“It was an honor to serve with other veterans, and it is an honor to exhibit with those who served so well,” says Doylestown artist Sharon Shaw, who served for 28 years with the Army National Guard. “I feel an inexplicable bond with other veterans because of the training and hardships we endured and the duties we performed.”

Even while stationed at Fort Dix, she nurtured a love for painting — inspired by family trips to the Metropolitan Museum of Art as a child — by taking night classes when she could. Today, her icons and oil paintings of nature have been exhibited across the region from the James A. Michener Art Museum to the Philadelphia Sketch Club.

“Wearing the uniform for 28 years was a privilege and not everyone can,” says Shaw. “The same is true for this exhibit, it is a privilege and not everyone can participate; you have to be a veteran.”

The Second Annual Military Veterans Art Exhibit opens Nov. 11, with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Scatter Joy Center for the Arts, 305 Horsham Road, Horsham, Pa. The exhibit runs through Nov. 28.

Information: 215-672-3140; www.scatterjoyarts.org.

(Pictured at top of article is Air Force veteran Mike McAfee's photograph "Louisiana Americana.")