2022 Place of Peace Exhibition Catalog

Veteran and Military Art Exhibition May 27th – September 17th, 2022 Digital Exhibition Catalog

Place of Peace The arts can help veterans find support and community, process trauma, and combat challenges such as PTS and depression. The mission of our collaborative veteran arts programming is to provide a creative outlet for veterans and community members to interact with and understand each other’s experiences; serving as an opportunity to help veterans transition to civilian life but also as a chance for participants to learn from each other, regardless of their veteran or military status, build communication and dismantle pre-conceived notions and stereotypes.

Finding a Place of Peace—be it a spiritual center, a garden, painting, theatre performance, or spending time with friends and family—is absolutely essential. It is critical in preventing a negative outcome. Let this exhibition help you find your place of peace and aid in the broader understanding of how we as a community can best help those who have served to protect us.

Heather Inich I joined the Air Force right after high school in 1995. After tech school, at Sheppard Air Force Base, TX, I was stationed at Offutt AFB, NE and worked as a Medical Services Journeyman at Ehrling Bergquist Hospital. I have always loved photography!

From the time I was 10 years old to present day, I’ve had a camera in my hand. I prefer to photograph nature and architecture, but have photographed families and weddings. I also volunteer my time as a photographer for different organizations. I love to capture the beauty in things that most people see as ordinary. Whether it’s a dragonfly resting on the top of a stick, flower blossoms on a tree or even an artist impersonation, there is beauty in everything!

Walking around in the woods, driving around looking for different landscapes to photograph or volunteering as a photographer to capture every day interactions is very therapeutic and a positive release for me. Creating, whether it’s photography or most recently sewing, is a calm and peaceful place for my mind to relax and just be.

Heather Inich Tree Blossoms 18” x 24” framed Photography, 2022

Heather Inich Dragonfly 8” x 12”” framed Photography, 2015

Kyle VanLanduyt The image I have selected for this place of peace exhibition is meant to showcase the visual beauty of Kansas City and our region, as well as a reminder to fund the arts. The focal point in this photo is the TWA Moonliner 4 in the Crossroads Arts District. it’s connection to Disney, Tomorrowland and how art in life is crucial in learning from the past and going into the future with peace.

I like to take photographs that pull the viewer into and beyond the frame. To tell a digital story that may bring memories of a shared experience they may have had with me or could imagine happening. I am especially drawn to take aircraft and spacecraft photos because of my time in the U.S. Air Force. I was active duty from 1988 to 1993 as a Fire Protection Specialist and served during Desert Shield & Desert Storm. I was honorably discharged as a non-commissioned officer with the rank of Sergeant.

One of the most exciting experiences I had during my time in service was being on the Space Shuttle Recovery team while stationed at Edwards AFB for the first landing of the space shuttle Endeavour. That in part, gave me continued inspiration to continue to look above and keep going through hardships and happiness to the stars. This exhibition is presented to give a feeling of family, home, and peaceful reflection to move forward through difficulty for veterans and all.

Kyle VanLanduyt Tomorrowland 16” x 20” framed Digital Photography, 2022

Gwen Thomas These are pieces depict the liberal flow of paint. The manipulating of the canvas, merges multiple ribbons of color, creating a journey. Going with the flow is quite exciting!

I’m captivated by the instruction of my mentor C. Ballantyne. He has introduced me to the fluid pouring of color using silicone and/or Flotrol. The marrying of these mediums, results in an amazing calm. This has been a breakthrough art form for me.

Meditation and Mindfulness! Keep Calm and Paint! I am Gwen Thomas, a United States Air Force Veteran. I spent 7 years in Law Enforcement, and 7 years in Accounting and Finance. Creating is Cathartic!

My toolbox of hope contains: acrylic paints, water, silicone, Flotrol, a spray gloss finish, and a dream! Having fun is practically unavoidable!

Gwen Thomas Gold Lava 11” x 14” Fluid Art, 2021

Gwen Thomas Fog In The Forest 11” x 14” Fluid Art, 2022

Casey Ballantyne Raised in small town in Iowa, Casey Ballantyne's call to service came at a young age.

At 17, he enlisted in the Marine Corps. Assigned to the 3rd Marine Air Wing, he spent the next few years at Camp Pendleton, deploying once to Mogadishu, Somalia. After the military, Casey went to college at Missouri Western and then the police academy.

He spent just under ten years in civilian law enforcement and has been an investigator for the federal government for over a decade. He currently lives and works in the Kansas City area.

Casey fell in love with art at a young age. He credits his art teacher with not only instilling the fundamentals but also the joy of the creative process. Art has always been a part of Casey's life, but as an adult, he discovered that it could be used as an outlet. Something to combat the pressure of working in a stressful profession. Over the last 25 years, he's dabbled in various mediums, from drawing and painting to etching glass and woodworking. A few years ago, he was introduced to Fluid Painting.

After researching everything he could to learn the basics, he developed his own sense of the medium. He continues to expand his art, by finding new ways to manipulate the paint.

Casey also shares his joy of fluid painting. He teaches several classes per year and donates pieces to fundraisers and benefits.

"I enjoy the process of taking an idea and creating something interesting."

Casey Ballantyne Moonscape 18” x 24” Acrylic on Canvas, 2021

Casey Ballantyne Moss 18” x 24” Acrylic on Canvas, 2021

Michelle Pond By the time I was in 6th grade, I wanted to be a journalist and attend the journalism school at Syracuse University. When I graduated from high school in the early 1970's, I knew I could not afford to attend the university yet, so I enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. After I completed boot camp, I was assigned to the Computer Sciences School in Quantico, Virginia, to be trained as a keypunch operator (punching programmer's code onto cards) and ended up being assigned there for the duration of my two-year enlistment. I reached the rank of corporal thanks to a meritorious promotion.

After I completed my service, I went on to achieve my goal of graduating from Syracuse with a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism thanks to the GI Bill. Writing was a staple in my career in various positions related to athletics. I did not venture into creative writing until a friend died in 2007. I still can't explain why, but I wrote two poems after her memorial service. Grief is a recurring theme in my art.

As I continued to write poetry, I started spending more time at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. I wrote a poem about the lost wax process of creating sculpture after hearing a docent's comments. Shortly after, I learned that poetry inspired by visual art is called Ekphrastic poetry.

I also became attentive to the beauty that appears in front of me everyday--sunrises, plants, animals and the moon. I capture these moments in photographs. I am taken in by patterns and relationships that I see, like a drying blossom hugging a new bud or a pair of trees that look like parenthesis.

Visual art and poetry have been in conversation since the time of the ancient Greeks. I pair original photographs and poems that speak to one another. I invite you to join the conversations.

Michelle Pond My Window on Nature 12.5” x 15.5” framed Photography and Poetry, 2022

Michelle Pond This Beat 12.5” x 15.5” framed Photography and Poetry, 2021

Randall Thornton I (Randall E. Thornton Jr.) grew up in Kansas City Mo. Area and had always been passionate about art and wanted to become an artist after high school. However, pursuing a degree in art was looked down upon in my family. When I started college as I was told to become an Engineer which is what my parents wanted me to do but after 6 weeks of college, I dropped out and enlisted in the Marine Corps.

During my 20 years of service, I put the art world behind me as I was told by my family that there was no time for such a thing. After 30 years I am finally able to pursue my undying love for art and once again picked up an art brush for the first time in over 30 years and began to paint once more. Even though I had not painted for more than thirty years my passion showed through with the art I have been creating at Park University in Parkville Mo. I am presently a Graphic design student with a minor in fine art and am in my third year of college.

I enjoy painting with Acrylic on canvas more than anything else and choose to express my emotions about what I am dealing with from the Military and his earlier childhood trauma. When I paint I tend to block out everything around me and just let whatever my emotions are at the time I am painting. I sometimes start a project with an idea in what direction I want to go with the painting but somehow emotions take over from the past and lead my hands in different directions. I struggle with knowing whether my art is worthy of being looked at because I always feel as if is not good enough to be considered artistic.

Randall Thornton WHY 41” x 41” Acrylic on Canvas, 2021

Randall Thornton Emotionally Overloaded 44.5” x 44.5” Acrylic on Canvas, 2021

Seth Strand My current body of work is done in the same medium and with the exact same process. Each drawing begins with toning the paper using black soft pastel, then using workable fixative to keep the textures, and tone. At this point I begin to work into the toned paper with the soft pastels to carve out the image. I work roughly the same amount of time on each drawing before continuing to the next phase to make sure they all maintain the same level of progress. This is important to keep each work evolving into its own piece within the body of works. At each stage I spray the artwork with workable fixative, so I can progressively work on top of each layer. The artwork is just as much about the process, as it is the content.

This series of self-portraits portrays a specific moment in my life, a moment of chaos. Using a mirror and self-reflection, I put myself through those intense emotions again as I created the work.

Within each piece I used that emotion to direct my actions, and how the material hit the paper. The content comes from May 4th, 2013. My convoy in the Maiwand District of Kandahar Province, Afghanistan was on mission to clear highway 1 of debris from a wreck. Enroute back to base, our convoy was struck with a 450 lb. improvised explosive device. As the driver of the lead vehicle in the convoy, the only thing I could do while the rest of the team loaded the bodies onto a helicopter, was sit. During that time, I became enraged, I sobbed, I was defeated, I was vulnerable, and I even laughed in disbelief. This is the moment I am exploring in this body of work.

I enlisted in the United States Army when I was 18 years old. Becoming an infantryman was important to me. In January of 2012 I went to basic training at Fort Benning, GA. from there I was stationed at Fort Bliss, TX; Where I was deployed to Afghanistan in December 2012. I was honorably discharged from the military as a specialist in May of 2015.

Seth Strand The Calm Before The Storm 27” x 40” Charcoal, Soft Pastel on Paper, 2019

Seth Strand To Wander Blind, Deaf, Numb 27” x 40” Charcoal, Soft Pastel on Paper, 2019

Kevin Sytsma For myself painting is about being in the moment. I attack the canvas in brief intervals over an extended time period, building numerous layers and depth. I am primarily an abstract painter and use nature and emotions as inspiration. I use large homemade plexiglass tools to smear and apply paint, which results in varying degrees of intent and surprises. I find the balancing act between chaos and control comes through in my work. German abstract painter Gerhard Richter has been my biggest inspiration especially with his application technique.

I was previously in the United States Army for seven years as an officer in military intelligence. I completed combat tours of one year in both Iraq and Afghanistan. After years of discipline and regimen, I found abstract painting to be freeing and stress relieving. While I do not incorporate overt military themes or experiences into my work, I do feel I integrate some of the emotions from my military time and whatever current experiences I am having.

While always creative, I did not get into painting until after the military. By chance I took a one night art class and became hooked afterward. While having no formal training, through trial and error I have continually honed my technique and developed new techniques. I am currently a background investigator for the Department of Defense. I work throughout the Kansas City metro and live in Overland Park.

Kevin Sytsma Reflections 36” x 48” Oil on Canvas, 2019

Kevin Sytsma Joy Division 30” x 48” Oil on Canvas, 2019

Scott Welsch Capturing the story a painted image portrays is everything.

As an acrylic painter, it is always the story, whether humorous or serious that inspires my work. A story’s elusive perception and interpretation can transform a figure or a landscape in just a matter of seconds. I strive to convey that sense of place, creature, or person by capturing its colors and (sometimes) abstract perceptive.

I am retired military (eight years USMC, and 14 years Army). I was deployed to Afghanistan in 2001-2002. When I am painting, I go to another world. Painting is my escape from PTSD.

Scott Welsch Charged With Pain 8.5” x 11” Acrylic on Canvas, 2022

Scott Welsch Color? What Color?

8.5” x 11” Acrylic on Canvas, 2022