Inspiration Strikes

There is a cast relief sculpture which I have been working on for a while now. The piece emerged by accident and was spurred to fruition by sheer visual interest. It is a cast of my left arm up until the wrist. It is completely white, except for some off color pieces of plaster gauze which dried a different shade of white than the rest. It is a very cool looking piece. While I did not know what it needed to be finished except for maybe a coat of acrylic paint to even out the coloration, the artwork needed a context. I found one: The story of Sgt. Gary Yoakam. Sgt Yoakam from Ohio lost his left hand in a rocket propelled grenade attack while on patrol with Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. While I am certain that there are many other injuries where soldiers have lost a left hand, Sgt Yoakam's story is the one I know, and the context which brings work of art to life.