16" x 16" Mixed media on wood This piece is one of a series that emerged from a set of 100 letters written by my grandfather to my grandmother while he was a young soldier serving in the US Army during World War I. I never met my grandfather. All the artwork in this series bring forth the feelings, passions and ideas he wrote about, or are derived from the materiality of the stationery, handwriting, paper stains, etc. With the Colors references the strength with which immigrants held their commitment and obligation as soldiers to the American army. The phrase "with the colors", which was printed onto some of the US Expeditionary Forces stationary, is a solemn and heartfelt term used especially by soldiers when talking about the American flag.
