National Day of Honour - Moments Defined - Mothers

Dust Series - Jessica Wiebe

The hype of Mother's Day can make it a difficult holiday, particularly for mother's who have lost children, and for those who not longer have mother's alive, or for those who could never be mothers, for whatever reason. Unfortunately, like so many of our Western holidays the media commercial hype is mostly overwhelming and continues to relegate the holidays to consuming and spending money. We have really lost our way in understanding the meaning of what is really important in life, that being our relationships and that we belong to one another.
 

Yesterday was a National Day of Honour, a tribute held in Ottawa Canada, to honour those who fought and served in Afghanistan. The Huffington Post had a good article covering the day. It is truly a bitter sweet tribute, considering the way the government does not provide veterans with the support and help they so desperately need, especially regarding PTSD. As well with Mother's Day being tomorrow, my thoughts and prayers are with the mother's, who will not be celebrating with their beloved sons and daughters.

Artists have historically recorded war. There is a now a new generation of artists doing the same. I think of J.P. Cormier and his song Hometown Battlefield which recently went viral online. A moving and powerful truthful tribute to our veterans everywhere.


Another, is the visual artist Jessica Wiebe. She was a reservist at the tender age of twenty, for the Canadian Armed Forces, was serving in Afghanistan, and is now attending the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax. I am certain her family is full of gratitude that she returned alive.

Recently, Jessica won an art competition for emerging artists through Taking It Global, entitled Defining Moments.

Canadians everywhere are deeply proud of, and supportive of all of our Vets, none more so, than the families of those who have served. I wished we felt and could say the same, for our Canadian government.

God bless our Veterans, their families and our mothers everywhere.

Defining Moments.

Defining Moments.

" Testaments of Honour "

Last night I was invited out for supper at my artist friend's house and joined a group of lively individuals with good discussion, great food, candle light and a warm wood fire. I felt very grateful and happy.

Being Remembrance day tomorrow, I've been thinking a great deal about war, veterans, soldiers and peace, over the past few weeks leading up to this time.
 After supper we were talking about Alex Colville, and the effect his war experience had on him personally, and on his art work and practice.

I had mentioned to my friend how Alex Colville had donated the gift of his silk screened renderings to the Owens Gallery at Mount Allison University, not long before he'd died, where he had once been an art student and a teacher.

We talked at length, and then she brought out a printed excerpt from the book, " Testaments of Honour ". This book by Blake Heathcote is a compilation of personal histories of Canadian war veterans.
In this print out, was Alex Colville's personal testament, which my friend lent me to read. He had served in the Royal Canadian Engineers Regiment in North Western Europe, as a war artist, during the Second World War.

 I had more of an in depth perception of who Alex Colville was, upon reading about his own insightful thoughts, and experience of the war, how this shaped who he was as a person, and an artist.