Sunday, April 18, 2010

Please read all this post and pay your respects, please!


This is the No.110 painting in my 365/2010 series.
Title: "15TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE OKC BOMBINGS 169 VICTIMS"
Size: 20X24 inches
Medium: Acrylics on watercolor paper and Gloss varnish.
I needed to post this early so that your mind will stay on it tomorrow and that you have time to call and share my memorial with them. Please do pass this along.
April 19, 1995, at 9:01 am I was 118 block north of the bombing site. The shock of the blast shook my classroom door open. I did not actually hear the blast. but that's how strong the after shock of the event was. All through the rest of that day and night a few images would not leave me. The one of the twisted tricycle handle bars, the firemen hats, the crying babies, and the 6 floors that they kept showing that looked like concrete curtains blowing in open front apartments like you might have seen in Vietnam or Cambodia in the 60's. The next day I painted a large 36X48 painting to get those images down on canvas. you can see this painting in the acrylic gallery on my website. www.arniandersonartworks.com . Today i did those images again in this painting and added a few more for you to find and contemplate as you honor those 169 that died.
Follow the 6blue lines across the paper left to right for the flowing breezy image of those stripped bare floors of the Murrah Building, the 4-19- 1995 is done in black, that day was very black for most Americans. if you follow the red likes and the red spaces you'll find the fireman's helmet, there were so many of them, but do you remember the one carrying the body of little Bailey Almon, how could you forget it. If you follow the orange lines and spaces you can see the handlebars of a tricycle. Follow the pink lines and you'll see the tears and crying baby's face representing so many children who died, and please don't forget those orphaned. Images that came later are represented by the purple lines and spaces of the heart and ribbon pins. There were so many. I collected them I had over 50 different pins made and distributed by school children and organizations who just had to do something to show respect. Then there is the green lines and spaces of the chair. This is the design of the chairs beside the National Memorial
Reflecting pond in downtown OKC. Usual, as you have seen in my tribute paintings I make the names very difficult to find by obscuring them. NOT THIS TIME, I want them to be easily found and highlighted.
I do hope you like what I do.
Comments and/or remarks are appreciated.

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