I am drawn to paintings of houses. My early years were wonderful. Our house was the center of an idyllic childhood. We moved, I grew, and the verbal abuse began. Emotional abuse leaves no scars - on the outside. I longed for the serenity of my prior house and life. Now, when I go to a museum, I’m drawn to the work of painters like Edward Hopper or Andrew Wyeth. Their houses are more than someone’s house. They are emotional sanctuaries. They’re not necessarily a happy place, but something much deeper that’s hard to explain. They take me to the past, yes, but also to an eternal place out of ordinary time.
PTSD took over my life in 2003, 37 years after returning from Vietnam. Kept everything bottled up and didn't talk to anyone to include my family the horrors of combat and my near death that I experienced in Vietnam. It come to me like a mighty beast taking over my mind and controlling everything in my life. I'm learning to cope, and I feel I have control over the monster that tried to destroy me now that I have received help
What a cool concept - to use art, especially art touching on the supernatural, to counteract the darkness in human experience, and especially the darkness from PTSD so many vets are experiencing.
I am drawn to paintings of houses. My early years were wonderful. Our house was the center of an idyllic childhood. We moved, I grew, and the verbal abuse began. Emotional abuse leaves no scars - on the outside. I longed for the serenity of my prior house and life. Now, when I go to a museum, I’m drawn to the work of painters like Edward Hopper or Andrew Wyeth. Their houses are more than someone’s house. They are emotional sanctuaries. They’re not necessarily a happy place, but something much deeper that’s hard to explain. They take me to the past, yes, but also to an eternal place out of ordinary time.
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/78455
PTSD took over my life in 2003, 37 years after returning from Vietnam. Kept everything bottled up and didn't talk to anyone to include my family the horrors of combat and my near death that I experienced in Vietnam. It come to me like a mighty beast taking over my mind and controlling everything in my life. I'm learning to cope, and I feel I have control over the monster that tried to destroy me now that I have received help
What a cool concept - to use art, especially art touching on the supernatural, to counteract the darkness in human experience, and especially the darkness from PTSD so many vets are experiencing.
Thank you...and not just vets: almost everyone.
Beautifully written. Looking forward to the journey.