Master Corporal Kristal Giesebrecht - We Will Never Forget

Corporal Kristal Giesebrecht

Private Andrew Miller - We Will Never Forget

Private Andrew Miller

Master Corporal Francis Roy - We Will Never Forget

Master Corporal Francis Roy

Sergeant James Patrick MacNeil - We Will Never Forget

Sergeant James Patrick MacNeil

Private Joel Wiebe - We Will Never Forget

Private Joel Wiebe

Corporal Stephen Frederick Bouzane - We Will Never Forget

Corporal Stephen Frederick Bouzane

Sergeant Christos Karigiannis - We Will Never Forget

Sergeant Christos Karigiannis

New decals on Project Heroes' artists vehicles

The artists are thrilled about new decals they have on their vehicles that promote the project wherever they go. This is such an opportunity for others to see the Project Heroes™information and either talk to us about it, or seek out information on the website.

Shairl tells about one of the paintings in the commemorative series

Along with the portraits of the fallen soldiers and three 6' x 9' panoramic paintings that will honor the families of soldiers, the wounded, and serving soldiers and veterans, the Project Heroes™ exhibition will also include a series of 16 x 20" paintings. This series will include intimate scenes such as the one Shairl describes in this video, other scenes of camaraderie in the Afghanistan War, and still lifes that include items such as soldiers boots, berets and tack jackets.

Through the comprehensive collection of portraits and paintings, plus stories about the soldiers that families have shared for us to use in the exhibition, Project Heroes™ will tell the whole story about those who served and sacrificed in the Afghanistan War.

The Mouths of Babes

This is a post from 2009 that is worth repeating. Although we are no longer in active combat in Afghanistan, conflict is alive and well world-wide, and if only children ran the world, things might be a lot different.

As we sat watching the Roar of the Rings curling finals today, a friend relayed this story from her four-year-old son…
Listening to a clip on the radio news about Afghanistan with his mother, he asked her, “Why are they still fighting over there?”
She tried to explain as best she could, but he interrupted and told her he knew what should be done to resolve the conflict.
“What I would do,” he said, “is I would sneak in there at night and steal all their clothes. Then they wouldn’t want to go and fight.”
Such a simple, yet somehow so profoundly logical solution coming from the mouth of a boy who believes the world would be a better place if only people wouldn’t fight with each other.
Since four-year-olds don’t run the world, and the Taliban still have their clothes, there will still be conflict in Afghanistan.
The best we can do is support our troops and pray for their safety while they work on our behalf.
Here’s to Canadian soldiers at home, in Afghanistan and in other countries world-wide. We appreciate you and thank you for all you do.
And thanks to all the four-year-olds who should be thinking of snowmen and toys and chocolate. Knowing that they also think of world peace means they will become sensitive, caring adults who will make a difference in tomorrow’s world.

Cindy tells about her panoramic painting that honors the families of soldiers.

Each of the Project Heroes artists has done a 6' x 9' panoramic painting to accompany the portraits of the fallen soldiers, and the commemorative series of scenes from Afghanistan and still life images. Susan Abma's panoramic painting honours wounded soldiers, Shairl Honey's painting honours serving soldiers and veterans, and Cindy Revell's painting, discussed in this video, honours families of soldiers.

We will release videos about the Project Heroes™panoramic paintings, the commemorative paintings, and the portraits, on the blog, Facebook and Twitter to share as much as we can about this important and special project as we work on completing it for exhibition.

Impersonating a soldier? No way!

This is a repeat of of an old post, but it demonstrates an issue that soldiers have to deal with on a day to day basis. I will never be a soldier - painting portraits is a worthy occupation but doesn't require bravery or brute strength.

I'm an imposter! I'll start off with an apology for having the gear on completely wrong. And, I'll apologize for what might appear to be an impersonation of a soldier.

What this photo actually is, is me attempting to find out if I could actually carry even the lightest gear that a soldier routinely carries.

Well, I found out. I sure can't!

I've read about the weight of military gear, but it never sunk in until today. I was fortunate enough to visit Lancaster Park - the military base in Edmonton - with a soldier giving me a guided tour.

When I left, I literally had almost everything but the pants and shirt Pat was wearing, although I did get other pants and shirts in the collection I took with me. He actually changed his boots and cap so I could take the ones he was wearing.

This warmed my heart to the very core. The reason he shared his gear for a couple of days was to allow us to photograph and paint some of the items for Project Heroes.

The first item he handed me was a helmet. For all intents and purposes it looked like a hard hat, but with camouflage on it. Well I've picked up many hard hats before so I had a mental expectation of the weight. Wrong. I almost dropped the helmet. The next thing I picked up was his 'flack jacket' (I've also heard it called a tack jacket). I'm guessing it weighed about 20+ pounds - like a large bag of potatoes. I can't even begin to guess the weight of the backpack, but I was assured that it was "light" compared to when the soldiers actually have it packed for use.

As I dressed in the heavy gear to take this photo (and I didn't even wear the helmet), it struck me hard that our soldiers have to endure so much in their duties, and the weight of their gear is only scratching the surface of the amount of sacrifice they make for all Canadians.

I'm compassionate, and my heart breaks for every fallen soldier, but brave I am not. I would never be able to stand in a soldier's shoes, so I'm incredibly thankful that they do what they do. I guess I technically did stand in his boots, but I couldn't even stand up straight! I estimated that I was carrying more than half my weight - don't ask and I won't tell.

Cindy, Shairl and I are all very thankful for the support that we are getting for Project Heroes and for the participation of the families who allow us to paint their soldiers and share them with Canadians. Thanks also to Pat for the military gear that I was able to borrow temporarily. 

- Susan Abma

Process for Portrait of Andrew Eykelenboom

Corporal Andrew James Eykelenboom
Initial Drawing in Oil, 14 x 18


This was my initial drawing of Corporal Andrew James Eykelenboom. Andrew's mother, Maureen, gave us the copyright to this photo to paint from when I met with her in Comox, B.C. It was wonderful to get to know Andrew through his mother's stories and photos of his life. We both liked liked this photo the best; it displays his wonderful smile; his love of fun, family and friends.

I started with a quick free-hand drawing done in yellow ochre paint directly onto a high quality, acrylic primed and stretched canvas. Once this drawing was checked, measured, and was satisfactory, I started painting the portrait in many layers, using Walnut Alkyd Medium to 'wet in' the painting each time I started another layer.


The walnut oil medium helps blend the oil colors, and since it dries overnight it means I can work on it every day.


To see Andrew's completed portrait, click here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.303749239653647.88109.301646666530571&type=3


- Shairl

2981 Royal Canadian Army Cadets Visit Project Heroes™ Studio

The cadets were moved by the portraits in the Project Heroes™  studio in the LCol. Philip L. Debney Armoury.

The 2981 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps visited us at the Philip Debney Armoury studio last night. It was so nice to get to know these special young people. They listened to the story of Project Heroes™ and the amazing heroes we are honouring through the project and they took time to view all the portraits and the other project artwork. Thank you 2981! We were so happy to host you. More photos can be viewed on our Facebook page in the photos folder. Cadets can feel free to tag themselves in the photos if they wish.

Hype TV films Project Heroes™ at Philip Debney Armoury

Dixon Christie, far right, visited our Philip Debney Armoury studio to shoot a video about Project Heroes. Left, Artist Susan Abma. Centre, Artist Shairl Honey.

Artist Cindy Revell with Dixon Christie in front of one of the panoramic paintings that will accompany the fallen soldiers' portraits. This three-panel panoramic painted by Revell commemorates the families of soldiers, another three-panel panoramic painting by Susan Abma will commemorate wounded soldiers, and a third three-panel panoramic painting by Shairl Honey will commemorate serving soldiers and veterans.

Dixon Christie, Producer at Hype TV, came to the Project Heroes™ studio at the Philip Debney Armoury yesterday to film a segment about the artists as part of his Paratroopers series (visit http://www.paratroopers.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=238&Itemid=15 to see some of the video footage of that series.

Once the video about Project Heroes™ is complete, it will air periodically on Shaw Cable throughout the summer. Plus, it will be posted on the Project Heroes™ website and Facebook page.

It is exciting to be filmed and shown in conjunction with another project that also honours members of the Canadian military.

The Project Moves Along

A project like this takes time, energy and money to put together and none of these things are in great supply. Each of us has other work to take care of, illustration, commissions, and an online magazine, nevertheless it's something we think is important and it's moving forward. Before the trip to Saskatchewan we each worked on 2 sample paintings that would be shown to the families of the soldiers to help them understand what we were doing.

First Nations Bravery

Andrew Greenaway and Joice Lakow with the Project Heroes™ display

The Project Heroes™ display at City Hall was a great opportunity to connect with the public. We met Andrew Greenaway and his friend Joice Lakow who shared a story about his grandfather Jeff, a WWII war veteran who was the only survivor from his section, all of whom were killed behind enemy lines. Alone with just his own determination and First Nations skills, Jeff hiked out of the bush through enemy territory where he eventually located the allied troops.

Details about this courageous man are limited, if you know of any information about him or a comprehensive list of all First Nations veterans let us know. We'd love to pass this on to Andrew and help fill in the blanks.

Project Heroes™ honours not only the Canadian soldiers who died in the Afghanistan war but through three 6x9 foot paintings we are also paying tribute to sacrifices of the families, the wounded and all veterans from past wars. Thanks to our First Nations veterans for their contribution.

Cpl. Zachery McCormack's Parents View His Portrait

Robin (left) and Armande McCormack, are the parents of Corporal Zachery McCormack, KIA Dec. 30, 2009.

Below, Robin and Armande with Susan Abma, the artist who painted Zachery's portrait for Project Heroes.

Robin and Armande McCormack shared many stories and photos of Zachery with Susan. The main reference photo Susan used was of Zachery holding a puppy that he had rescued in Afghanistan. Afghanistan children were swinging the dog by its neck (dogs are not highly regarded there), and Zachery ended up trading a chocolate bar and other small items for the dog, which he and his comrades looked after in their tent. He called it Napoleon and shared his food with it for a month until it was back on its feet. Susan was drawn to that photo because of the utter happiness in Zach's eyes and also because it was completely in tune with what his parents had said about Zach's gentle, caring nature, and that he was always helping others. Zachery's portrait will be posted on the Project Heroes™ Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/projectheroes) very soon.

Project Heroes™ Shares Portraits With Sir Winston Churchill Society

A Room at Breccles, Norfolk by Sir Winston Churchill

Last night Project Heroes™ was honoured to display several of the portraits at the 48th Annual Memorial Banquet held by the Rt. Hon. Sir Spencer Winston Churchill Society of Edmonton at the MacDonald Fairmont Hotel.

The banquet is held annually honouring the current year's recipients of scholarships, awards and prizes as well as winners of the High School competitions. The society featured key-note speaker great grandson of Sir Winston, Randolph Churchill whose topic was Churchill, European Unity and Economic Turmoil. 

It was a pleasure for the artists Cindy Revell, Shairl Honey and Susan Abma to meet some wonderful and interesting people including Randolph himself and share the project with the guests. Sir Winston Churchill was not only a statesman but an artist which was an appropriate connection to this event for us.

Randolph told the artists that the project was of huge importance, and that showing many of the fallen Canadian soldiers smiling in the portraits really brings home the human aspect - that the soldiers were real people.

"When I get to heaven I mean to spend a considerable portion of my first million years in painting, and so get to the bottom of the subject..." - Sir Winston Spencer Churchill

Soldier's Wife Visits Project Heroes™ Display at Edmonton City Hall

Darcia Arndt in front of a portrait of her husband Master Corporal Raymond Arndt (KIA August 5, 2006)

While the artists were at Edmonton City Hall painting and displaying portraits for Project Heroes™, they were visited by many family and friends of the soldiers.

One of their visitors was Darcia Arndt, wife of fallen soldier Master Corporal Raymond Arndt.

Speaking directly with Darcia and getting family photos to work from helped artist Shairl Honey as she tried to paint a sense of Raymond's spirit and character into the oil portrait.

The artists, Shairl Honey, Susan Abma, and Cindy Revell knew when they started that they wanted to do more than just recreate a copy of the soldiers' official military photographs in oils. They wanted to tell a complete story about the soldiers through their paintings and the information and other photos, videos, etc. obtained from families.

Finding the families, interviewing them, working from as many as five or six photos at a time, and then having to, in many cases, paint the soldiers back into their uniforms makes this a very time-consuming and more difficult project. But the result is a series of portraits that no one has seen before, and it makes it so much more personal. 

The artists are also including three 6' x 9' paintings that will commemorate the wounded, serving soldiers and veterans, and families of the soldiers.
This one-of-a-kind collection of portraits, paintings and other information, photos and videos records the history of the soldiers who served and sacrificed in the Afghanistan War in a sensitive, personal, comprehensive and lasting way. 

It is important that friends and families of all soldiers know that Canada is grateful for the special men and women - our Canadian heroes - who served our country in Afghanistan, and that we will never forget the unfathomable sacrifice of the wounded and the fallen. We remember them, and Project Heroes™ will help ensure that future generations will have the opportunity to get to know them and remember them also.

Saturday is the last day at City Hall

Artists Cindy Revell, Susan Abma and Shairl Honey had this beautiful, expansive space to work in for the last two weeks. Countless events filled the space with people and excitement during the two-week period.

After an incredible two weeks of painting in Edmonton City Hall, meeting people including soldiers and families and friends of the fallen, we will be packing up at the end of the day tomorrow and heading back to our studio at the Philip Debney Armoury.

While we are happy to be going to our lovely studio in the armoury, this has been an exceptional opportunity to spread the word about these incredible men and women who fought and died serving in Canada's military. We are passionate about the importance of giving Canadians the chance to see into the lives and histories of our fallen heroes, and if we could talk about it all the time, rest assured we would! But at City Hall we have done quite a bit more talking than painting, and at the armoury we will be doing more painting than talking, so we will get back to painting and get more of the soldiers' portraits complete.

Many thanks to the City of Edmonton for hosting us so graciously for the past two weeks. What an opportunity - it has been a wonderful experience.

If you're looking for a Saturday excursion, come down and visit us at City Hall  between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. and take in a great Farmers' Market as well. 

Young class visits Project Heroes™

Shairl Honey, far left, shares information about Canada's fallen heroes at the Project Heroes™ display at Edmonton City Hall.

Students think our Canadian soldiers are the best. They learned about our fallen military heroes, the three artists: Shairl Honey, Cindy Revell and Susan Abma, and about how Project Heroes™ will have a national exhibition that will honour our Canadian Army heroes.

Over the course of the two weeks that some of the soldier portraits have been on display at the Edmonton civic centre, the artists have had many groups of school classes visit to hear about our country's brave men and women who served Canada in Afghanistan.

There is nothing more heartwarming than the innocence and honesty of children, and some of their questions are not only difficult to answer, but make a person think seriously that they have it right and adults could really learn from them. 

It feels wonderful to be able to share some stories about the service members in the portraits - it makes the students understand that the soldiers were real people - some loved puppies, some worked out, they had families, some earned medals, some had children, they loved their country, they were brave, and they believed that their service in Afghanistan would one day make a difference.

Everyone knows of the death of the soldiers, but through Project Heroes™, they will learn about, and have the opportunity to celebrate the lives of our Canadian military heroes.

Young class visits Project Heroes™

Shairl Honey, far left, shares information about Canada's fallen heroes at the Project Heroes™ display at Edmonton City Hall.

Students think our Canadian soldiers are the best. They learned about our fallen military heroes, the three artists: Shairl Honey, Cindy Revell and Susan Abma, and about how Project Heroes™ will have a national exhibition that will honour our Canadian Army heroes.

Over the course of the two weeks that some of the soldier portraits have been on display at the Edmonton civic centre, the artists have had many groups of school classes visit to hear about our country's brave men and women who served Canada in Afghanistan.

There is nothing more heartwarming than the innocence and honesty of children, and some of their questions are not only difficult to answer, but make a person think seriously that they have it right and adults could really learn from them. 

It feels wonderful to be able to share some stories about the service members in the portraits - it makes the students understand that the soldiers were real people - some loved puppies, some worked out, they had families, some earned medals, some had children, they loved their country, they were brave, and they believed that their service in Afghanistan would one day make a difference.

Everyone knows of the death of the soldiers, but through Project Heroes™, they will learn about, and have the opportunity to celebrate the lives of our Canadian military heroes.

Friends of the Fallen Visit Project Heroes™

Artist Cindy Revell with visitors Trent and Peter, friends of Capt. Matthew Dawe

The City Hall display has been a great opportunity to meet and share Project Heroes™ with the public. In the two weeks that we've been at City Hall we've met friends, family and colleagues of the fallen soldiers. The other day we had the pleasure of meeting friends of Capt. Matthew Dawe, Trent and Peter, who told us about Matthew. it's always great to hear personal stories about the men and women that we are painting. 

CTV interview

Project Heroes™ had a really great interview with Robin and Armande McCormack. Thanks CTV for sharing this important project honoring Canadian fallen soldiers. It will be on the 6 p.m. news (Edmonton time).

Project Heroes Connects at City Hall

Susan Abma, Shairl Honey, Susan Farnell and Cindy Revell at City Hall, Edmonton

It's week two of painting and displaying the portraits at City Hall where we're meeting members and family of the military, veterans, friends of the fallen soldiers, school children and all kinds of wonderfully supportive people. Sharing our soldiers with the public and seeing their response to the portraits has been incredible. Our thanks to Simon Farbrother, City Manager who invited us and Susan Farnell, Protocol Officer with the City of Edmonton for coordinating our two week visit.

Artists inspired by Garrison students

These photos are of children from the Edmonton Garrison visiting our display of about a dozen portraits at City Hall.

At the city's request, we are displaying and painting soldiers on site there for the next two weeks. It's an excellent opportunity to increase awareness of the project. 

The City has a resident school teacher, Linda Hut (who took these photos). Area schools are able to send their classes to the City for a week to learn about municipal government and the things that happen at City Hall - lucky for us they visited Project Heroes™ display!

When the teacher asked for a show of hands to indicate who had parents that had served in Afghanistan, most of the children's hands went up. Thankfully all of their parents have come home safe, but they were a living reminder of some of the many casualties of war when a soldier is lost. 

These students asked some very interesting and poignant questions about the project, and about creating oil portraits. They also gave Project Heroes™ 'the thumbs up!' (Top photo)

The opera Fidelio was amazing and Project Heroes™ was thrilled to be there!  A cast of soldiers, politicians, jailers, heroic women and prisoners sing a tale of love and freedom set in eighteenth century Spain. In this setting a woman disguised as a man searches for her husband who is a political prisoner. It was Beethoven's only opera and was written in the countryside near Vienna during a time of political upheaval. Days before the French army marched into Vienna the audience of the premiere was mostly French officers.

We were proud to have several portraits on display in the lobby and enjoyed the VIP party afterward.

Susan, Shairl and Cindy with some of the portraits.

Susan and Shairl discussing Project Heroes™ with guests.

Susan with 3 members of the military at the VIP party.

Portrait in Progress

The portraits are started in various ways, in this instance Shairl has drawn the portrait with pencil and done the first layer in green. We all work a bit differently depending on the photos that we are supplied. Sometimes we work from several photos and draw with pencil before committing paint to canvas. Often we will simply draw directly on the canvas using paint. No matter how we start the end result is a colourful representation of a special individual who was loved.

Shairl Honey painting Captain Jonathan Snyder

Project Heroes™ Artists at the Debney Armoury Studio

Project Heroes™ moved into the Debney Armoury studio this week. Soon this big space will be filled with portraits, a big tree with yellow ribbons (more on that later), pedestals to hold tablets for soldier's stories, three 6x9 foot paintings and much more! The military has been incredibly generous and supportive. Thank you Canadian military.

Susan Abma painting Corporal Randy Payne

Cindy Revell painting Private Chad Horn

 

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.

New studio space

We have such exciting and amazing news!!!! The military has graciously provided space in the Debney Armoury on the southside of Edmonton for us to use as studio space so we can finish this project all together in a single location. We are so thankful, grateful, and excited to be in the lovely space with fantastic natural lighting. As soon as we're settled in and we know more, we'll let everyone know any days that we are able to have visitors to the studio. Thank you all so much for your support of Project Heroes, and your interest in what we're involved in. We appreciate you all so much.

Project Heroes to Contribute to Edmonton Opera's Fidelio

PRESS RELEASE

April 15, 2012

Edmonton, AB

Project Heroes™ is excited to be included in Edmonton Opera's production of Fidelio at the Jubilee Auditorium. Susan Abma, Shairl Honey, and Cindy Revell are preparing a display and presentation for the opera patrons. The artists, who are the creative spark for Project Heroes™ will be available to respond to requests for information and more. Keep watching for more information about Project Heroes™ and Edmonton Opera.

What is Project Heroes™ and what does it consist of?

• An interactive, educational art and multimedia cross country exhibition inspired by 158 incredible men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Afghanistan mission.
• A symbolic eight foot tree covered in 158 yellow ribbons representing each of the fallen soldiers, complete with the soft sound of wind and wind motion that will gently move the ribbons.
• An intimate view of the 'soldier behind the uniform' through oil portraits created from family photos and in depth stories as remembered by their families.
• Interactive multimedia of family photographs, stories, music, videos and letters that capture the essence of each soldier.
• Panoramic 6x9' paintings featuring gripping depictions of the travails of the waiting families, the wounded, serving soldiers and veterans of all wars.
• Several 16"x20" paintings of various scenes and still lifes that represent the soldiers' and families' personal experiences. These will be reproduced as prints for marketing and fundraising.
• Eight to ten mannequins that will wear soldiers' uniforms and speak quotes from the soldiers.
• A full colour hardcover book including the portraits, soldiers' stories, the panoramic paintings, scenes and still life collection and the story of Project Heroes™.       
• A national tour to bring the exhibition to all Canadians starting in 2013.

 What Makes Project Heroes So Special

• The artists paint from family photos that breath life into each portrait with personality and spirit. 
• They work closely with the families of the fallen to bring each soldier's journey to life using family photos, personal mementos, videos, soldier's poetry, family stories and much more. 
• The use of interactive multimedia enriches the soldiers' stories in a unique way through individual tablets that gives us the ability to continuously add digital information over time. 
• A comprehensive artistic experience that will give Canadians the opportunity to personally connect to these brave spirits, gain inspiration from them, and strengthen our collective pride in Canada's achievements. 

 Who is Project Heroes?

• Project Heroes™ began with portrait artists, Susan Abma, Shairl Honey and Cindy Revell who wanted to say thank you to the soldiers and their families and share their inspiring stories.
• A steering committee including a radio personality, media professionals, business people and an MP along with a group of dedicated volunteers who passionately support this vision.
• A charitable organization, part of Canadian Fallen Heroes Foundation.

For more information on the Edmonton Opera collaboration with Project Heroes™, the Project Heroes™ Exhibition, and the upcoming Project Heroes™ Tour, please contact Robert Laporte, Exhibition Manager,  (780) 986-0789    

Project Heroes, Box 3449, Leduc, AB, T9E 6M2

Project Heroes™ has lots of exciting things happening and you can now find them on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/projectheroes. Some of the most recent paintings are there as well as other information about the project.

If you don't have Facebook, email info@projectheroes.ca and request an information sheet that gives up to date information about the project and we'll email it to you.

Thanks so much for your interest in Project Heroes.

Momentum building for Project Heroes™

We have been incredibly busy with Project Heroes™ lately. A lot of the recent work has been administrative and board work in relation to getting society status and working on charitable status.

That doesn't make for great literative fodder or superb photo ops on the blog, so it's been pretty dismal for updates, but as 'boring' as board stuff might be, I am excited to share some of it with you because the results are so darn exciting and there's so much great stuff going on behind the scenes.

We have formed our society board and it is loaded with people who are passionate about honoring the fallen and wounded soldiers. There are, of course, the three artists involved in painting the fallen soldiers. In addition, the board includes Chris Aanderson - our technical specialist from Westworld Computers who is also extremely knowledgeable about military history, Michelle Bartsch - a relation of fallen soldier Cpl. Cole Bartsch, and Lesley Primeau - radio personality from CHED radio. Did I say 'personality'? That should really be capitalized, bolded and underscored. What an amazing resource she is for us, and a whole lot of fun to be around. Danny Hooper has agreed to assist us with fundraising ventures, and Debbie Walker - Project Leader with 630 Ched Santa's Anonymous is our consultant about the charity and society related issues. Accountant Jim LeBrun has agreed to assist with accounting needs - thank God for people who actually LIKE to do books!

We also have a very enthusiastic and personable volunteer - Julie LaChapelle - who will help with various aspects of the project as we progress. Julie is married to a Canadian soldier based in Edmonton.

Together with the board, we now have pre-planned virtually all aspects of the eventual national exhibitions, and we are working on getting all the pieces in place.

As we move along, we will have many needs. We will begin posting them soon and if anyone can assist with those needs, or knows someone who can, we need all the angels we can get.

We are so honored to work with the families of the fallen to create oil paintings that will commemorate those heroes long into the future.

Although the hours are long and the pay ain't great, haha, (this project is 100% volunteer - including the artists, the board and all others who are committing time and effort) we are so incredibly proud to be able to give something back to our men and women who gave all they had.

Shairl, Cindy and I will be getting together very soon for a 'mini-marathon' of painting and we'll post some of those pictures very soon. We often paint alone in our own studios, but our 'mini-marathons' are just short retreats where we paint together.

Again we'd ask that if anyone who follows our blog or twitter, etc, knows any family members of the fallen who we have not yet contacted, please let them know that we'd be very happy if they'd contact us at any time. info@projectheroes.ca or 780-986-0789.

— Susan Abma

Soldier portraits displayed at Northlands in Edmonton

Susan Abma, Shairl Honey and Cindy Revell

We had an amazing week recently sharing Project Heroes™ at Northlands during rodeo week (CFR). We had about 16 of the fallen soldiers’ portraits there and we were painting on site. We met a lot of people, including friends and family of the soldiers. We thank everyone who stopped by our booth at Northlands to share your sentiments, sign our sheets in support of the troops, and/or donate to assist the project.

We feel so invigorated by the overwhelming support and we feel so proud to be able to commemorate the heroes who fought in Afghanistan to make a difference for our tomorrows. It was humbling for us to meet so many members of the military who served alongside the soldiers whose paintings we had on display. Although we've effectively volunteered the next 'who knows how many years' to this project, we've already been so richly rewarded by the response from the families, other soldiers, and the public. There is an indescribable sense of satisfaction in knowing that what we're doing is important, impactful and will ensure our present day heroes are remembered for generations to come.

Shairl Honey's portrait of Andrew "Boomer" Eykelenboom is gracing the labels of Boomer's Canadian Red Ale which just made it's debut this past weekend. Of each beer that is sold $1.00 goes to Boomer's Legacy which directly supports the people of Afghanistan affected by poverty and war with emphasis on programs and services for women and children. Boomer's Canadian Red Ale is brewed by Howe Sound Brewing Company.


Walter Zicha, Shairl Honey, John Ohler, Vice President and Manager of Sales and Business Development

Shairl with General Rick Hillier (retired) co-founder (Colonel Kevin Reed) of Project Hero, a program that provides undergraduate scholarships to children of fallen soldiers. www.projecthero.ca

Maureen Eykelenboom, mother of Corporal Andrew Eykelenboom (Boomer) with Shairl. www.boomerslegacy.ca
We're incredibly proud to be one of the organizations that are working hard to help soldiers and their families. We can't wait to taste the beer, and toast Boomer.

Project Heroes At The Canadian Finals Rodeo

Project Heroes™ will be hanging out with the cowboys and cowgirls this week. If you're attending Farm Fair and Canadian Finals Rodeo you'll find us in the Dodge City Western Art Gallery at Northlands from Nov. 10-14th. We'll have our easels set up and will be working our most recent soldier paintings, in addition there will be several completed portraits on display. Look for the great big horse mural, we're right in front of it. We're excited about this week long opportunity to share Project Heroes with the public and if you're coming out to the rodeo we hope to see you. Giddyup!

Society Status Underway

Although we may not have been in contact much over the last several months, we have been very busy and a lot has happened with Project Heroes™.

At long last, after many meetings, after creating bylaws and objectives, etc., we have applied to become a Society.

This will mean many things for Project Heroes™. First, we'll be able to apply for federal charitable status and will hopefully be able to issue tax receipts in the near future. It means we're working together with expert assistance of volunteer board members, and it means we'll be able to accept other members to the society. How exciting it will be if you all become members of the Project Heroes Society.

It also means we'll be scouting out volunteers to assist with things like fundraising, membership, looking for venues, bookkeeping, data entry, etc. If you would like to assist with the project, please let us know - we can certainly use you now or in the near future.

And we will be in contact much more often now that we're finished much of the organizational 'stuff' and things are back in full swing . Please feel free to contact us at any time - info@projectheroes.ca or 780-986-0789. And, please follow our blog by clicking on the 'Follow' button in the right hand column. We sure appreciate your support.

Our Blog is Back

You may have noticed in the last several posts that there are two dates, one for the date that the event occurred and another for the date that it was re-posted on this blog. For a while the blog was on our website but our readers seemed to prefer this format so we're back and have posted those months here.

Interview With Darcia Arndt

July 7, 2010 – 8:53 pm

Recently I met with Darcia Arndt, widow of Master Corporal Raymond Arndt. What she said when I left her home was so true; “we had a lovely visit!” We got together so that we could choose a photo of her husband for me to paint and to talk about him so that I could know more about the man whose portrait I would be working on. I found there was not enough time for us to talk and share all the wonderful stories and events, and look at all the beautiful photos of her and her husband’s lives during the few years they shared together. There never is enough time!
I must thank Darcia for making me feel so comfortable in her home, for all her time, and for her being so open and sharing during our four hour visit! I got to know more about Raymond, and I am looking forward to painting the man behind the uniform.
For Susan, Cindy and me, all of these family interviews so far have been ones of great positive support of our project, and are both a true honour and a sad delight to experience.
Shairl

What Our Soldiers Do

May 19, 2010

Recently we went to hear Maureen Eykelenboon talk in Spruce Grove where she spoke to the audience about her son Andrew for whom she created Boomer’s Legacy. Maureen talked about his experiences in Afghanistan and his conviction that what he was doing there was important work, something we hear from every single family that we talk to. She told us about his heroic moments in which he saved Afghanistan lives, treated some of the Afghan people who have no access to medical care, what life as a medic or soldier is like, and some of his thoughts. “Mom, people in Canada have no idea of what having nothing means, even our street people have more than those in Afghanistan”. And this “About two weeks ago a little girl brought her infant sister to the UMS while I was on duty. She had 2nd degree burns on her hand from touching a kettle. I bandaged her hand and after gave a doll that your friend made to her. She instantly stopped crying and started sucking on the nose of the doll. A special thanks goes from her elder sister to your friend for such a wonderful gift; and a thanks from me for being the one to accept her gratitude. Making the children happy is the most rewarding thing about this tour. Love Andrew”.

In May 2006 Andrew saved the life of Niaz Hussaini, an Afgan interpreter with the Provincial Reconstruction team. Maureen was lucky enough to meet Niaz on a visit to Afgahanistan and see for herself the impact our Canadian soldiers are having on the people of this country.

Maureen played a slide show of the photos that remained on Boomer’s camera when he died. It was an excellent look at the life of a soldier in Afghanistan and the good work that they are doing to restore order and give the people a sense that they are being cared for. Thanks Maureen. Thanks Boomer.

We hope that the portraits and exhibitions will be able to show some of the magnitude of what our soldiers have done and have given up to do so. Their families too.

Interview on the Primeau Show

April 14, 2010 – 7:25 pm

Lesley Primeau, Shairl Honey, Susan Abma and Cindy Revell

We were on 630 CHED radio March 13 and Lesley Primeau asked us back on her show again April 6. This was a wonderful opportunity to talk about the project in a very public way and we had great response, with parents of the fallen soldiers phoning in, and several donations to help pay for the costs.

Our very sincere thanks to Lesley and 630 CHED for helping us share Project Heroes™ on the radio and for putting a link to our website on their site and on Lesley’s blog. Our heartfelt thanks also to those who donated to Project Heroes™ – we could not possibly do this without your help.

To listen to the show, go to: http://www.630ched.com/other/audiovault.html and put in the date ‘April 6’ and the time ‘6 PM.’ We were on at 6:30, so if you move the bottom bar along until it gets to 34:00, you will be able to listen just to the Project Heroes™ interview without listening to the first half hour of the show.
To view Lesley’s blog, go to http://www.630ched.com/Blogs/PrimeausBlog/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10106345.

Radio Interview on 630 CHED

March 31, 2010 – 9:57 pm

Our interview with Lesley Primeau on 630 Ched was fantastic. Lesley is a lively and engaging host who asked perfect questions and helped get across what this project is really about. Many thanks to our callers for phoning in to support us and sponsor us. Your help is greatly appreciated. We’ve been invited to talk with Lesley again on April 6. We’ll give the exact time when we have more details. Till then we paint and talk to families of the soldiers.

Radio Interview

March 10, 2010 – 9:39 pm

On Saturday, March 13 at 12:00 we’ll be interviewed by radio talk show host Leslie Primeau on 630 CHED. Join us as we talk about how the portrait project got started, what we are doing, why we are doing it, what’s next, and how you can help.

Our Blog Has Moved To Our Website

Welcome to our blog. We have got some exciting news - at least for us! Our website has been redesigned and our blog has been integrated into it. So, now one simple address will get you virtually all of the Project Heroes information.

To go to our new blog: go to www.projectheroes.ca and click on Blog Updates on the top bar. All of our old blog posts have been moved there, so if you're looking for a particular post, you'll still be able to access it.

Thanks so much for following our blog. We will continue to provide you regular updates on Project Heroes.

Edmonton Visit

Shairl (far right) and I recently visited with Sarah Keller, (centre) wife of Cpl. Bryce Keller who was killed in action in August, 2006.

As we gained insight into Bryce's character in order for Shairl to paint his portrait, we also found a kinship with this smart and kind young lady who is also in the Canadian military.

Sarah is currently studying for her nursing degree at the University of Alberta (Edmonton), after which she will use her nursing skills in the military.

As with other soldiers' family members who we have visited, Sarah shared her husband's story openly.

We are so grateful for how open all the families have been and we appreciate that it must be incredibly difficult to do that.

Thank you so much to Sarah and to all the other families who have welcomed us so warmly and allowed us to paint the portraits of their loved ones.

We are truly honored to do this project and will do or very best to make you all proud.

— Susan Abma

*Please note: Our website - www.projectheroes.ca - is being rebuilt and will be down for about two days. It should be back up Dec. 1 or before. We are very proud of our new look and thank Lynda Baxter and www.artincanada.com for redesigning it. We hope you'll check back in a few days to see our newly designed website. Thanks for your patience.

Andrew's Smile

Corporal Andrew James Eykelenboom

What a pleasure it was to paint Canadian army medic Andrew James Eykelenboom, or "Boomer" as his mates called him. The first time I learned about Andrew, was when his mother Maureen told his sad but beautiful story "Andrew's Smile" on the radio. I couldn't wait to read about him, visit his home in Comox, meet his parents and hear more of his goofy but sweet humour.

Yes, it has been a pleasure painting your smile, Andrew, and getting to know you.

Shairl

Goodbye Pat and Edmonton soldiers

Saying goodbye to my cousin's fiancé Patrick at the Edmonton garrison was difficult to say the least.

The hall was filled with soldiers ready to leave, their parents, siblings, spouses and children.

As the soldiers waited to go into the line-up to have their bodies and their gear searched, they clung to their wives and children. Most of the spouses had welled up tears in their eyes the entire time, but most of the soldiers stayed fairly straight-faced and tearless, putting on a brave face for their families. The look in their eyes told the story of the sadness they felt leaving their loved ones, especially knowing that there was a possibility that it could be the last time.

Although the soldiers kept a brave face throughout the waiting period, as they left their families to be searched and then board the bus, almost all had tears in their eyes.

It's hard to explain how electric the atmosphere was, full of love, sadness, fear, and even excitement. Even though the soldiers were sad to leave their families, there was a part of them that looked forward to doing what they had been trained to do.

My heart broke as I watched my cousin cry and her daughter wave goodbye to Daddy. As the soldiers walked out of the hall and out of sight, my cousin ran outside the hall and around the building to have a last chance to see her soldier in the bus as it left.

It struck me how solitary life as a military spouse can be. It's hard to think of a child not seeing her Daddy for six to eight months, and again thinking that the worst case scenario is that she could never see him again. As the parent who stays home, the spouse is a single parent and lonely. There are times when they have no contact with their soldier for long periods of time, and they hold their breath as the names of fallen soldiers are announced. They pray that it's not their spouse, and yet are so very sad for the family that does have to deal with the loss.

Shairl, Cindy and I have become so close up and personal with this project that we, too, hold our breath every time another fallen soldier's name is announced. Our hearts break for the families, and we often cry also as we sit with the families and share the stories of the brave soldiers who never made it home alive.

I pray for the safety of my cousin-in-law to be, and all his comrades as they work hard in Afghanistan for a cause they believe is worth dying for. Besides my own family, I don't know if I'd ever be that brave for anyone else. I am thankful for everything these soldiers are doing for us, for our country, and for the people of Afghanistan.

God bless them all.

—Susan Abma