Artistic Expressions of Patriotism

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I treasure long weekends. This Memorial Day weekend was no exception. Memorial Day signifies the start of the summer season and is a holiday I look forward to every year. With such a tough winter and an unusually chilly spring, the signs of summer were especially exciting this year. The aroma of fresh cut grass and caramelized barbeque sauce – it was great. Of course, in addition to kicking back with family and friends this weekend, I made sure to take a few moments to reflect on those who have served and are serving our country at home and around the world. These are the people that have made and continue to make freedom possible. While I have no trouble finding patriotic inspiration myself (my husband serves our country), I thought I would help all of you find your patriotic inspiration through art. To view artwork with a patriotic theme, you can go to the official Norman Rockwell website at http://www.normanrockwell.com/index.php and check out the Patriotic section. Or, visit http://www.metmuseum.org/special/Hassam/index.asp to experience the patriotic works of American Impressionist Childe Hassam. And if all else fails, visit your local antique store. I’m sure you’ll run across all sorts of carved, stitched, woven, hooked, whittled and molded expressions of patriotism there.

Here’s to our country and those who make freedom possible. Here’s to the artists who help us pay tribute. Here’s to art.