Military Life: Maria Bennett Hock Guest Blogger

Figure artist Maria Bennett Hock is a friend of mine who is painting tender moments of life in the armed forces. In honor of Memorial Day this month, I asked to share her blog post about a series of works she is currently creating. Thank you sincerely, to all of the men and women who serve, and to their families.

Military Life Series

I have an ongoing series depicting scenes from military life. As a military brat (which is the term lovingly used for children of military parents), military spouse and military mom, I have extensive exposure to the military lifestyle…its trials and tribulations, its joys and adventures. I have been compiling memories and stories from friends and family to capture these memories on canvas. I paint from my heart and express emotion in my work. I have the ideas, the memories, and the stories. What I lack are the models to depict these scenes. I have a small group of neighbors that will pose for me setting up scenarios and portraying my memories. Some I can paint from life and some I must photograph to work on my own in the studio. I am always on the lookout for appropriate models to come and pose for me.

I painted this as a representation of a family getting ready for deployment. The father is going overseas for a number of months...up to a year. It is not easy for families to endure these separations, but military families are tough.

This piece shows a young child with his hand over his heart as they play taps at the end of the day. On a military installation, music is piped through a loudspeaker at sundown. As soon as the music starts, activity stops. Everyone stands and either salutes or places their hand over their heart and faces the flag. If they cannot see the flag, they face the general direction. This is done as a sign of respect for the lowering of the flag. As soon as the music stops, activity resumes.

I did this portrait of my son when he was deployed to Afghanistan. It was shown at a local gallery. When my daughter in law visited she leaned over to give him a kiss. I thought it was a perfect moment. I did a painting of this scene and then gifted it to my daughter in law.

Would you like to immortalize your military life moment in an original painting?

If you have any stories of military experiences that you think will add to my series I would love to hear from you! Whether you would like to commission a painting, or just model for one, I am thrilled to speak with you. Please send stories and/or pictures by commenting on this blog post, or at THIS LINK, or contact me through my website HERE. Of course if anyone lives in Northern Virginia or the Raleigh, NC area and would be kind enough to model...my door is always open and my schedule is flexible!

Please forward this to anyone you know who might enjoy.

Thank you to Maria Bennett Hock for guest blogging for me!

#Military #ArmedForces #Army #Navy #Airforce #Marines #MemorialDay #MilitaryFamilies #veterans

Comments

4 Responses to Military Life: Maria Bennett Hock Guest Blogger

Thank you for guest posting on my blog Maria!

Posted by Debra Keirce · via debkart.com · 137 months ago

Very touching!!! So nice to get to know Maria better!

Posted by Kim Minichiello · via debkart.com · 136 months ago

Maria is so passionate about military life, having lived it all her life. She is painting her passion when she paints those who serve!

Posted by Deb Keirce · via debkart.com · 136 months ago

How powerful and moving! That is awesome. Thanks so much for sharing it here at your blog. I could just feel the passion. Thanks for stopping by and wishing me a happy mother's day. Wishing you a Happy Mother's Day as well!

Posted by Vanessa Newton · via debkart.com · 136 months ago

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Debra Keirce