This pencil drawing was done with the photos of Cpl. Shane Keating at hand. I wanted to explore his face and get to know his structure before starting the portrait painting. Drawing out these heroes before I start painting them gives me personal time to get to know them. I can imagine their strength, their [...]
Category Archives: Susan Abma
Impersonating a soldier? No way!
July 3, 2009 – 6:37 pm
I’m an imposter! I’ll start off with an apology for having the gear on completely wrong, I’m sure. And, I’ll apologize for what might appear to be an impersonation of a soldier. What this photo actually is, is me attempting to find out if I could actually carry even the lightest gear that a soldier [...]
Painting Portraits on Canada Day
July 1, 2009 – 7:36 am
Today we Canadians celebrate our country’s 142 birthday. We’re a quietly patriotic nation with a deep love of this huge land with it’s many wild places and just like our anthem says we are indeed strong and free. Giving others the strength and the means to become free is what our soldiers are working toward [...]
Cpl. David Braun – preliminary drawing
June 22, 2009 – 7:46 am
This is the preliminary drawing of Cpl. David Braun. Since Cindy showed the method of beginning the painting by ‘drawing’ in paint, I’ve done a pencil drawing as the beginning of this painting. I usually do more of a ‘cartoon’ when I’m drawing in pencil to later paint. There is little need for detail – [...]
Composition Issues
June 15, 2009 – 8:55 am
Susan – Every now and then a painter has a painting that just isn’t working for one reason or another, and this one is problematic for me. There are some things that work well – I like the soldiers marching into the distance on the right and I like the main soldier and the way [...]
A Visit With Corporal Cole Bartsch’s Family
June 4, 2009 – 9:24 am
Susan and I (Cindy) recently had a visit with the family of Cole Bartsch, one of the soldiers who died on July 4, 2007. We heard about Cole’s love for the outdoors and comics, his antics, his great respect for the military, and his deep love of family. And photos, so many wonderful photos of [...]
Contacting Families of the Soldiers
May 25, 2009 – 1:38 pm
Shairl is busy working on locating the families of the Canadian soldiers who have lost their lives in the Afghanistan war. In the meantime we are delighted when a family contacts us and invites us to interview them to be part of the project. She will be travelling from Edmonton to the Vancouver area during [...]
The brushes are wagging….
May 11, 2009 – 9:19 am
Shairl and Susan have been drawing two young corporals, while Cindy has been working on a commemorative painting for the exhibition. Although the subject of our paintings is sad because we have lost these heroes to the Afghanistan war, there is some happiness for us because they will ‘live’ in their paintings for many, many [...]
Working on the Project
April 27, 2009 – 10:21 am
While in Saskatchewan, we (Shairl and Susan) spoke with the families of two young corporals. The experience was humbling to say the least. These men believed strongly in what they were doing and made the ultimate sacrifice. While their pain was clearly evident, the families were open and sharing. They welcomed us graciously and we [...]