ALEX TESORIO
Graphic Designer
LIVING HISTORY PROJECT
Students Making Art For Veterans
The Living History Project is an annual school trip where students are given the chance to meet with veterans, know their stories, and make art for them. I have been fortunate enough to be invited to participate in this trip three times now and each time is always emotionally rewarding. On this trip, I met three wonderful veterans that taught me the value of life, art, and people.
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Art really makes bridges that connects people the way words cannot.
This project is proof of that.
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THE ART OF HEALING.
For George
This painting is a gift to a veteran that I met in an art therapy program in Connecticut. He served in the Navy many years ago which is why I decided to color the drawer Navy Blue which symbolizes the foundation of his life. After his service, he was so traumatized by everything that he witnessed and experienced that he tried doing art therapy. This helped him recover and become optimistic about life again. The yellow cracked walls and harsh texture symbolizes that he has been broken before. The cork board is filled with recreated photos of him and some mementos he kept from his service to show his sentimental personality. The paintbrushes and floral vase signifies healing, and the beauty of art itself.
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The Art of Healing
AN ANTHEM OF COURAGE.
For Steve
I think one of the best ways to tell a story is with the portrait of the man himself. This piece is a gift to a veteran I met on an annual school trip in Brewster. It exhibits a minimalist style that I based on how he perceives life. The colored lines behind the veteran symbolizes the flag of Iraq in which he has served in the past. In contrast, I put the American flag on his shoulder to symbolize the weight he has carried to serve one's country. The birds symbolizes the freedom he helped to fight for. Lastly, I implicated one of his hobbies which is hiking. If the piece is turned upside down, it reveals a mountain that is being climbed by him and his children.
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An Anthem of Courage
DANCING THROUGH LIFE.
For Jacquelyn
This is a painting that I made for a Marine veteran that I met in an art therapy program in Connecticut. She is an avid dancer, single mother and a cancer survivor. I titled this piece the way it is, because it shows her resilience and how she danced her way through life. The colors that I used to create this painting mimics the colors of the thyroid cancer ribbon which symbolizes what she has overcome. Also, the silhouette dancer is a recreation of her dancing that I based from an actual photo.
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