The night before she handed in her entry depicting a lone World War I veteran for the Veterans Art Show at the Bob Stump Memorial Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Betty Long found a photo of injured World War I veterans who moved in a line with their hands on each other's shoulders to get to where they needed to be.
Long, who served as a nurse in the Navy, said she had been working on her fine arts mixed media work "When Johnny Comes Marching Home - Flanders Field 2" for more than a year when she saw the photo.
"We lost so much of what we learned in World War I by the time we were in World War II," Long said. "After World War II, we heard about treatment for what's now called post traumatic stress. Back in World War I, we called it shell shock."
Long, who won Best of Show on Wednesday for her artwork, was one of 83 artists who submitted 167 entries in the Veterans Creative Arts Festival, said Paula Moran, supervisor of recreation therapy at the Northern Arizona Veterans Affairs Health Care System.
Kenny Wayne, who served on submarines in the Navy, said he used the Raku technique to make his Kopper Kiva Verde pottery that won third place in best in show and first place in pottery and that he modeled the top portion of it on Mesa Verde cliff dwellings.
"It amazes me the talent these men and women have," said Elaine Pohle, a volunteer at the VA as she walked through the show.
The Arts Festival is sponsored by Help Hospitalized Veterans, which has provided more than 27 million arts and crafts kits absolutely free of charge to VA and military medical facilities worldwide since 1971, and the American Legion Auxiliary, which donates thousands of volunteer hours to communities and veterans and raises millions of dollars to support its programs and well known charities.
"Each year we challenge the veterans to go out and tell another veteran about the show and get them involved in this program," Moran said.
John Huebner, who served in the Air Force during the Korean War era, won second place in oil painting for "The Old Prospector and Burro."
"That is absolutely wonderful," said Sukie Floriano, a VA employee, said as she looked at Lori Robinson's mosaic "Field of Flowers" which tied for third place in mosaic kits. "I love sunflowers."
Frank Hamilton, who won first place in pastels for his "Windmills in Amsterdam" and teachers a pastel class at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Yavapai College, said he saw a photo of the windmills then "put my own creative stamp on it."
"It's true, there are 40 shades of green in Ireland," said Ken Enright, who served in both the Army and Air Force, and put many of those shades of green into his watercolor painting "Slea Head" that earned second place in watercolors.
John Sheley, who served in the U.S. Navy, said he used to be an electrical lineman and he used 14 karat gold and sterling silver wire in his Wire Wrapped Bracelet and Sweetheart Pendant that won second place in the Jewelry not beads category.
"These people have such talent," said Lilly Miley, who viewed the exhibit with her husband Doug Miley, who won first place in oil painting for "Rocky Mountains." "I think it uplifts them, the same way my husband and I feel like we get taken to another place when we paint."
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