Cher Ulrich, a 58-year-old nontraditional art student, was stunned when her then-18-year-old son told her he had enlisted in the Marines.
"I stood there speechless, trying not to cry," Ulrich said.
When her son was deployed to Iraq several months later, Ulrich was
beside herself with worry. Not able to speak with him, she longed for a
connection with her son, and eventually decided to try to find that
connection by painting a portrait of him for one of her classes.
The project quickly grew in scale as she decided not to paint just her son, but her son's entire unit in Iraq.
"I asked him to ask the men in his unit to send me photos of
themselves showing how they see themselves," she said. "They were so
close to my son, and really, they were like any son. I felt connected."
Ulrich poured over the photographs, picking the ones "that spoke to
her the loudest" to use in her portraits. The paintings of soldiers,
stark in their muted camouflage colors, depicted their everyday
activities, from writing a letter to resting against a tank.
A common theme, Ulrich said, is the young Marines' senses of humor.
One such painting, titled "Pin-Up Boy," shows a solider lying
provocatively on a couch in a gas mask.
Professors and colleagues praised the series, and Ulrich contacted
the National World War I Museum in Kansas City, Mo., about displaying
the work.
After months of consideration, representatives of the museum decided
to feature the collection as part of its Veterans Day commemoration.
Ulrich said the project has grown beyond connecting with her son or getting a grade in an art class. She said she had become passionate about telling the stories of the men she calls "everyday heroes."
"I feel I know each and every one of them," she said. "I could see
their sense of humor and the loneliness of serving, and their sense of
honor and of duty. It became totally about honoring the boys."
Working on the portraits helped Ulrich process her emotions, she
said. She wanted the public to understand the Marines' lives, their
sacrifices and their vulnerability.
A visiting artist to the school described "In the Field," her
portrait of the youngest man in her son's unit, as "disturbing" because
of "how young he is, and how much he is sacrificing."
Will Stewart, one of Ulrich's classmates, said her familial instinct made her artwork stand out.
"It's unique to see an artist, especially a student artist, with
such a strong voice," said Stewart, who is also a veteran. "It's the
relationship she has with these people that makes her able to honor
them."
Ulrich has painted 17 paintings since she began the project in
Aug. 2007, and she will soon begin her grand finale: A portrait of
her son's entire unit in Iraq.
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