A local veteran is to be awarded at the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival.
David McGee of Fayetteville learned to draw from his father. He began by watching his father sketch model cars.
“I would trace it until I had it committed to memory, and then I could reproduce it,” he said. “I’ve been involved in art since I could walk.”
McGee has spent decades creating original pieces of art using a variety of mediums. But now he has been recognized at the national level. His colored pencil drawing, Shequonor, won first place in that category. He also placed third in oil paintings with his representation of a Mustang called Stripes. His entries have earned him a free trip to the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival in St. Petersburg, Florida this fall.
“I’m set back at how diverse and how many categories this competition has,” said McGee. He explained that there are hundreds of categories including poetry, metalwork, sculpture, photography, leatherwork, and if a veteran comes up with a unique art, then a new category for it will be incorporated the following year.
“It’s no wonder this convention has to go on for a week because of so many categories, and they offer classes so I’m anxious to maybe learn something.”
McGee’s disposition to learn new things and challenge himself is apparent in all aspects of his life. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1984, first as a combat engineer, then in drafting and surveying, and finally in enemy intelligence and reconnaissance. “I kind of put art on the backburner. Although I did design tattoos for people in the Marine Corps, unit t-shirts, unit flags, logos, stuff like that.”
It was on a deployment to Iraq during Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm that he was injured by an explosive, impacting his back, shoulders and brain. He was medically discharged in 1992 after eight years of service.
“I quickly learned through the VA system there was a stigma placed on veterans with PTSD,” he observed. It was a doctor in one of Ohio’s hospitals called Dr. Bill who recommend art as treatment. “He told me that the VA recognizes art therapy, so I searched and searched for a VA that offered that kind of therapy in Ohio.”
In Cincinnati McGee joined forces with Deanna Black, a Recreation Therapist, to make that option available for local veterans. In March of 2020, the program had an average of 30-40 veterans attending each week.
“For three years we’ve been meeting as an unofficial art therapy group,” he said. “She got Baker-Hunt out of Covington, Kentucky involved… Baker-Hunt was offering free classes to veterans who were in Deanna’s program, once a week, while covid has been around. We’re anxious to get things back to normal as soon as possible.”
McGee said his favorite part of the group and of the festival is connecting with like-minded veterans.
“Art can communicate because it can convey emotions,” he explained. “If my art connects with somebody, that’s awesome.” McGee branches out frequently, but his comfort zone includes frontier art, portraits, and vintage cars and motorcycles. He often draws inspiration from historical research and reenactments.
He began: “I could do this all day but there are times that the artist gets burned out and has to take a break, go on an adventure with the wife, go to a car show, or antique steam engine show. Before covid we used to go to living history events.”
In fact, a living historian in costume was the model for his award-winning drawing, Shequonor, which he described in relentless detail.
“The black mask means that he has seen death or is ready to die for his people. The red dots are remembrance dots that represent female or other members of his tribe that have died due to the diseases brought down upon them by the white settlers. The black lines represent words of death spoken to his enemies; it is his death song if he should die in battle. The scar on his forehead are the scars of his people for things that they have lost.”
“I like the odd and the unique,” he explained about his subject matter, “I like something that’s striking.”
David McGee wants to extend a special thanks to his wife Rhonda, Deanna Black, and Baker-Hunt for their support. He also has some encouraging words for his brother-in-arms: “You don’t have to be Michelangelo, you just need to express yourself. Whatever you can create, that’s a form of art.”
A Solo-Artist Art Exhibit will be held in the Cox Art Gallery in Maysville, Kentucky from September 4th until November 4th, 2020. Some of McGee’s work is also on display at the Miamisburg Art Gallery in Miamisburg, Ohio and the Ohio River Valley Artists Guild in Old Washington, Kentucky.
To buy prints and view more artwork, visit www.Devildogart.art and https://ift.tt/3iEcoCL.
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