Courtesy Photo | Maj. Pat P. Vongsavanh, 38, an air officer with Air Operations, 1st Marine Logistics...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - For centuries people have used art to tell stories, or as a way to express themselves. Some use art to get rid of boredom or just to have another skill to add to their arsenal. One Marine here uses art as a challenge.
Maj. Pat P. Vongsavanh, air officer, Air Operations, 1st Marine Logistics Group started drawing cartoon characters in elementary school. Since then, he has used other forms of art such as pottery and papier mâché. Papier mâché is a form of art that consists of pieces of paper stuck together using paste, usually made by mixing water and flour, and left out to dry.
"I used to think of art as a hobby," said Vongsavanh from Fairfax, Va. "Now I just draw things here and there since I don't really have time to commit to it."
Vongsavanh attended Chantilly High School, where he took art classes. There he learned about various art styles.
Vongsavanh, 38, has been a Marine for 20 years. He spent seven and a half years in the Marine Corps Reserve and has been on active duty since 1996. He arrived at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., in the summer of 1989.
"I can still remember when I stepped onto those yellow footprints," Vongsavanh said.
Vongsavanh was prior enlisted before completing Officer Candidate School in December 1996. He stated that the reason he completed OCS was because he wanted to become an officer.
Vonsavanh has drawn many pictures for friends while in the Marine Corps. He drew a Dodge Prowler as a gift for one of his friends and has also drawn pictures of weddings.
"The pictures I draw for friends are personal," Vongsavanh said. "I try to make it fit their personality."
One of his current projects is of an old building he intends to give away. The project took 55 hours to draw. The black and white pencil drawing of the building has every meticulous detail from the trees to the words on the sign. The only color shown in the picture is the 1st MLG sign and the American flag.
"It was a challenge," Vongsavanh said. "I drew it because I never drew a building before, so I wanted to try something new. The hard part was getting the building proportional."
He also added that working on the picture and detailing it are the parts he enjoys doing.
Vongsavanh attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly known as Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., where he majored in mechanical engineering. He has a wife, Heather, and a three-year old son, Conner.
"One Valentine's Day I took a picture of Conner and drew little wings on him and a bow like Cupid and gave it to my wife as a gift," Vongsavanh said. He thanked his wife for letting him draw when he gets a chance.
"She keeps Conner out of the room so I could get the drawings done," He said. "I really appreciate her allowing me to use some of our time to do this."
He also added that art helps people express themselves. Whatever art they use, they should keep at it.
He doesn't sell his art now, but in the future he hopes to make money sharing his gift with others.
| Date Taken: | 06.15.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 06.16.2009 11:56 |
| Story ID: | 35155 |
| Location: | CAMP PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 258 |
| Downloads: | 161 |
This work, Drawing from Inspiration: 1st Marine Logistics Group officer expresses self through art, by LCpl Jerrick J. Griffin, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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