Chapter 10: The Reconciliation
As I begin to approach closure on this work, I am incorporating Gary's letters into my imagery. Reading the letters again takes me back to a time when I was a child and I remember life as it was when Gary was away in Viet Nam. Through this process, I better remember those years and I understand the effects that Post Traumatic Stress had on my brother and on the lives of everyone who knew him. I hope to create an awareness of the way this injury effects society at large. Post Traumatic Stress knows no geographic boundaries.
Developing this new work, by integrating Gary's letters with my memory, I am able to trace his gradual downward spiral and decent into despair. Through the process, I hope to achieve personal closure and come to finally understand the profound consequences of what took place. By sharing Gary's letters within my work, I offer the viewer a deeper entry into Gary's life and that of my own experiences of loss as a result of that war. It is my hope that because the work is so acutely personal, it will resonate universally. As I grapple with what took place, I hope that my work allows the viewer a more intimate encounter and insight into the aftermath of war.
Work from this series is available for purchase, licensing, and exhibition.
To view the other chapters, please click on, "Photographs" in the menu at the top left --> "My Brother's War", or hit the Back browser button.