Philip Debney Armoury studio

We set up more of our things in our new studio space in the Debney Armoury today . It is so amazing to have this fantastic space to work in, and for the three artists to be able to work together. Up until now we have each worked in our own studios and then travelled about three quarters of an hour quite regularly so we could meet to discuss progress of the project. We had to 'meet in the middle' to have meetings etc., and it took a lot of time in meetings because we always had so much to catch up on. We spent a lot of time sitting in Edmonton restaurants - thanks to them all for providing our free meeting space. :) We can now discuss things quickly every day as they arise, and then paint. Such a timesaver compared to spending long meetings trying to catch up with everything. Painting together is very inspiring and we are able to discuss information we have for each of the soldiers, plan details of the exhibition, etc. This generous and supportive gesture by the military, of allowing us space in the armoury,is a blessing and will be so incredibly well-used and appreciated. From the start of this project, we have been overwhelmed with the support we've received. We started out wanting to honor our Canadian soldiers for their service in Afghanistan, including the fallen, the wounded, families of soldiers, and veterans. We believed that the portraits of the fallen should be done with cooperation from the families, and that their participation would give us, and later all Canadians, a greater insight into the men and women behind the uniforms. We never knew how profoundly it would affect our lives, how important the families would become to us, what incredible people would volunteer their time and that the military would be such a huge support. We're so proud to be doing this project, and we're so thankful for the many ways that we're being helped along the way. This is truly a joint, all-Canadian effort to honor our troops. Thanks to every one of you. Whether you're actively involved in the project, or helping us by spreading the word on Facebook, Twitter, etc., we appreciate you all.