The World War Two Veterans Portrait Project

An ongoing series of drawings of Humboldt County WWII veterans by Kathrin Burleson.

The World War Two Memorial

Humboldt County Veterans Visit their Memorial

Monday, September 3, 2012

A Musical Tribute to WWII Veterans

On November 12, 2012, the Eureka Symphony Orchestra had a concert honoring our WWII Veterans. In addition to very moving patriotic music, they played Our Town, by Aaron Copland, while portraits of the vets were projected on a 12x20' screen above the orchestra. A video can be seen by clicking here: Musical Tribute.

Nearly 550 people attended and it was a glorious evening honoring these American heroes. Many thanks to the orchestra and all who helped make this possible.

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About Me

Kathrin Burleson

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Honor Flight is a program that takes WWII veterans to Washington DC to see the memorial that was built in their honor. The program is funded by contributions, and volunteer effort, and there is no cost to the veteran. For the past two years, I have been involved in North Coast Honor Flight, a Humboldt County hub that has taken over 250 veterans to Washington. Meeting and spending time with these American heroes has been one of the greatest privileges of my life.

David Hockney once said, “Paint what you love”---good advice to any artist. So, it seemed only natural that I draw these men and women. I started this project about a year after we took our first flight of vets from Humboldt County with no idea of where it would go. After I drew a few portraits I realized that I really didn’t want to do much else. The depth and beauty of those faces is mesmerizing, and I plan to continue until I have drawn every vet I can find.
This project is not limited to vets who have been on Honor Flight. Some vets are not up to the trip, or chose not to go, but it is important they they be included in this series. If you know of a WWII veteran in Humboldt County who hasn’t been included, please contact me at artist@KathrinBurleson.com.

To date, I have completed over 150 portraits, and continue to draw daily. Not all are posted yet (I am too busy drawing to tend the blog regularly), but I will be posting more drawings as they are completed.
Kathrin Burleson

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