From News-Press, 22 November 2013.
In honor of Veterans Day, artist Rick Kelley donated five images from his “Patriotic Series” to veterans attending the Veterans Foundation open house Nov. 11 in Cape Coral.
The print giveaway was part of Kelley’s “Families of the Fallen” project that Kelley and private donors began more than a year ago to memorialize the loss of America’s heroes of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Families of these soldiers were given their choice of one of six patriotic images from the“Patriotic Series” framed with a personalized nameplate.
Kelley has given away over 130 of the “Patriotic Series” medium-sized prints.
The art in this collection was inspired from the events of Sept. 11, 2001, and includes “On Freedom’s Wing,” “Liberties Flight,” “Reflections of Freedom,” “The Homecoming” “The Patriot” and “Coming Home.”
Each medium-sized print is valued at $50.
A set of the “Patriotic Series” master canvases are in the private art collections of both Presidents Bush.
“After 9/11, we as a country showed great compassion for one another. That compassion is what we tend to forget in our everyday lives for each other. The soldiers and the families of these heroes have given so much unconditionally so we as a people can enjoy our freedom,” Kelley said. “I am hoping that by giving of my art to these families and soldiers it may spark a little of the compassion again for us to care for others that we may not even know.”
In addition to the print donation, the Veterans Foundation, which houses a military library and museum, unveiled new pieces from the Revolutionary War.
Kelley’s goal is to expand the effort nationwide, but needs to raise donations to cover framing costs