Veterans show their creative, personal sides

The Rancho Bernardo Library is one of three city branch libraries participating in the “On View: War Comes Home” exhibit, viewable for free through Dec. 31.

The inaugural art exhibit features the paintings, drawings, photography and other artistic creations of veterans. Of the 21 artists selected for the show, six have their work displayed in Rancho Bernardo. The other libraries are the Mission Valley and Point Loma/Hervey branches.

Fourteen of the 16 works displayed in Rancho Bernardo are along the library’s second floor corridor. Two more pieces can be found near the Friends of the Rancho Bernardo Library Bookshop downstairs. The library is at 17110 Bernardo Center Drive and the exhibit can be viewed during the library’s operating hours.

The exhibit was inspired by this year’s California Reads theme and Karl Marlantes’ book, “What It Is Like to Go to War,” said Kara West, San Diego Public Library’s arts and culture exhibition manager. West coordinated the exhibit.

California Reads’ various activities this year have been designed to spur discussion “on what it means to come back home from war and how to build bridges of understanding between those who have served and those who have not,” West said.

“There were no parameters (on submissions),” she said. “Some works speak directly to the soldier’s experiences and others are of beautiful landscapes.” Several mediums were used, including watercolors, pen, mixed media and photography. She said some of the more than 60 pieces of artwork in the entire exhibit came from unconventional places. Following a call for artists that generated a smaller response than hoped for, the Veterans Art Project plus the Veterans Museum and Memorial Center helped to complete the exhibit.

While there was an effort to showcase the artwork of local veterans, there are some pieces from veterans living in other parts of the country or overseas. The Rancho Bernardo Library’s exhibit features the work of three San Diegans. They are:

• Brian Meyer, a U.S. Army Specialist E4, who served for three years and is a Desert Storm veteran. He is a watercolorist inspired by working in plein air, according to his bio. His paintings are “In Whose Symbolic Shadow?” and “Sunset No. 9 From My Backyard.”

• Patricia R. Kline, a U.S. Coast Guard Operations Specialist 2, whose 10 years of service included a deployment to the Middle East. She also prefers watercolors and is an Art Institute of San Diego graduate. Her paintings are titled “Puerta de Alcala,” “Stonehenge” and “San Francisco.”

•Randall Miller, a U.S. Navy Petty Officer Second Class/Boatswain’s Mate Second Class, who served for 10 years and began his pursuit of photography six years ago. His photos are “Blue Hour in Paradise,” “Kingsdance,” “Blue Hour at Crystal Pier” and “Snake Bridge.”

The other featured artists at the Rancho Bernardo Library are:

• Michelle Dallocchio, a U.S. Army Sergeant medic, mental health sergeant and retention NCO, whose eight years of service included being a member of Team Lioness, the first female team attached to Marine infantry units to perform checkpoint operations, house raids and personnel searches on Iraqi women and children for weapons and explosives. She was deployed to Ramadi, Iraq, from 2004 to 2005. The Las Vegas resident received the Outstanding Woman Veteran Award from the state of Massachusetts in 2009 and according to her bio, “has taken her self-taught skills in fine art and creative writing to assuage post-war trauma.” Dallocchio’s mixed media pieces are “Beautiful Ar Ramadi” and “Lioness.”

• Darrell Black served in the U.S. National Guard and Army. He now lives in Frankfurt, Germany, and works with various artistic formats. His “Cyber Networking” and “Microscopic Invader” are designs made via pen and ink on paper.

• Justin Johnson, a Sacramento resident whose U.S. Army and Army Reserve assignments over nine years included serving 17 months as a Division Tactical Command Post Battle NCO and division convoy security detail in and around Baghdad, Iraq, with the 1st Armored Division. His photography is “part of his healing process,” a method Johnson “recommends ... to any veteran ... looking for ways to express their feelings in a positive way.” His photos on display are “Heaven Digital,” “Memories Digital” and “Rustawesome Digital.”