Art world links which caught my eye...

We are so grateful to our veterans, who risked all to keep us free.

Ed Bowen served as US Army combat artist in Vietnam. He has recounted his experiences in paintings, drawings, and a memoir.

Ed Bowen, a U.S. Army combat artist sent to Vietnam in 1969, still paints scenes from Vietnam at his Corona del Mar home.

Ed Bowen and His Art

Ed Bowen recalls teaching art classes at Villa Park High School in Orange in 1967 when rumors began circulating the U.S. would draft citizens to fight in Vietnam. At 26, and ripe for the picking, he wasn't too concerned.

Since his parents had come to Corona del Mar from Canada when he was a child, he figured his foreign residency precluded him from having to register for the draft. Plus, he was working a plum job; he loved art and the kids loved him.

It wasn't until he received a letter in the mail, informing him he was to report for duty with the U.S. Army on Nov. 28, that he realized how wrong he'd been.

"I had to say goodbye to the kids — my dream was shattered," he recalled. "But, as I say now, the Lord had other plans, and he was to take me to the 'ultimate assignment.'"

What happened next would begin an incredible journey that would take Bowen to some of the most perilous stages of the Vietnam War where, armed with only a sketchpad and pen, an Instamatic camera and a Colt .45 revolver, he would fulfill a mission to capture the conflict in pictures.

A painting by Ed Bowen recalls a night in 1969 when enemy soldiers attempted to overtake an Army post in North Vietnam.

One of Ed Bowen's Memories

Read the full article here: DAILY PILOT - Vietnam War combat artist still inspired by his 'ultimate assignment'

**************

I don't fundraise off of my blog. I don't ask for Patreon or Paypal donations. If you'd like to support the Remodern mission, buy a book. Or a painting. 

Learn more About My Art: Visionary Experience

My wife Michele Bledsoe has written her own inspirational book, Painting, Passion and the Art of Life.

Remodernism Video: BEFORE THERE WAS FAKE NEWS, THERE WAS FAKE ART

Visit other posts for more commentary on the state of the arts.

Please send any inquiries to info@remodernamerica.com. Thank you!

 This free site is ad-supported. Learn more
​