Collage, assemblage and repurposed materials including paper, fabric, newsprint, cardboard, textiles, metal, plastic, ceramic, marker pen, graphite, inkjet prints and rope on birch wood panel; 48 x 36 in. © 2024 Wayne Brezinka.
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CBS Nashville, News Channel 5
NOTE: Images of “For Bart: The Story of a Combat Veteran” may be used to raise awareness about the lives and well-being of Veterans. Images may NOT be used or reproduced for any fundraising purposes or commercial use without permission.
Opportunities for in-person viewing of “For Bart: The Story of a Combat Veteran” will be announced at a later date.
IF YOU ARE A VETERAN PARTNERED WITH A SERVICE DOG, YOU ARE INVITED TO SUBMIT A PHOTO OF YOUR CANINE to be included in this online gallery for this project. Let’s Go! Submit a photo HERE!
View gallery of service dog companions HERE
If you would like to learn more about service dogs like Athena, please visit:
Patriot Service Dogs
Smoky Mountain Service Dogs
Canine Companions
This combination of painting and sculpture breaks down traditional boundaries between 2D and 3D media.
I’m interested in representation and suggestion. I’m interested in the way objects and the materials I use feel, the stories and histories they hold.
Before a portrait begins to take shape, I photograph my subjects. This allows me to try on different perspectives as I take on the work of translating initial inspiration into realized vision.
In the case of my friend Bart's portrait, the initial inspiration hit me at 4:00 a.m. I then invited him and his service dog, Athena, to my studio to sit for reference photos, taking on different poses and postures until my mental vision crystallized into something tangible. Then it was on to the materials.
This portrait uses snippets culled from my subject’s life history, including personal letters Bart wrote to his mother and grandparents while serving in Operation Desert Shield, childhood photos, an original earring of Bart’s, a beloved fly fishing reel, and a childhood baseball. A pink bow worn by Athena offers a vibrant burst of color amid physical reminders of war, including a USM8 Army knife sheath, Bart’s metal gun magazine used in Operation Desert Shield, combat boot footprints symbolizing deployment, a 1991 Stars and Stripes front page headline that reads, “Ground War Begins,” a bore brush used to clean his battle weapon, a watch used during deployment, and more. These memorabilia are combined with acrylic paint, rope, and inkjet prints using various mixed media techniques to construct the final vignette.
“Through war, nightmares, flashbacks, suicide attempts, drinking, divorce, marriage, determination, my doctors, the love of family and friends, and love of self, I am alive today.” – Bart Crowe, U. S . Army Combat Veteran, 1988 - 1996.
My depiction of Bart portrays him as determined, yet fragile. Vulnerable, yet human.
Vitiligo, a skin disorder generated by exposure to toxins from burn pits during military service, intensifies the profile of Brezinka’s subject. The effect is mirrored in his loyal canine companion Athena's face as if she were absorbing a portion of Bart's pain. Service dogs have served as life-changing companions for so many Veterans, comforting and supporting people like Bart through times of physical, mental, and emotional distress.
The X-ray featured in Bart’s chest depicts the misalignment of his neck and spine after years spent compensating for the traumatic impact of explosives on Bart's body, including a traumatic brain injury. These are the permanent scars of war, seen and unseen, and they take a mental toll. Veterans are at a 57% higher risk of suicide than those who haven't served. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for post-9/11 Veterans, accounting for 22.3% of all deaths.
With this vulnerable, resilient, and ultimately human portrait, I invite viewers to move beyond popular conceptions about national identity and military deployment—as well as stereotypes of race, class, and gender—and instead embrace the dignified humanity of individuals suffering from the mental anguish and lifelong consequences caused by war.