32 | May/June 2018
B
A R T S
Creations of a veteran artist
BY CATHERINE PRITCHARD | PHOTOGRAPHY BY TRISH BROWNLEE
But more is going on. Scratchy white lines – not part
of the original photo – extend from one of his ears. More
scratches cover part of his head and his torso.
e soldier made those marks on the image himself, says
Hope Mills artist Trish Brownlee, who took the original
black-and-white photo.
She explains: e soldier, who has had nine combat
deployments, has a constant ringing in his ears. us, the
ragged lines emanating from one ear. Nightmares regularly
interrupt his sleep, leaving him frazzled and worn. us,
the scratches on the other side of his head and on his torso.
"You try to find other ways to cope and deal," Brownlee
wrote in a note based on her conversations with the soldier,
"but those lead to even more problems and you are caught
in the cycle until you (deploy) again."
Brownlee knows first-hand about the complex feelings
and traumatic effects that can result from military service.
Now 34, she entered the military soon aer graduating
from high school, joining the Air Force National Guard and
serving as a photojournalist.
Over nearly eight years, she served several periods of
active duty, cared for a loved one who'd suffered debilitating
physical and mental injuries during a military deployment,
worked overseas and in this country as a photographer
for the military, and developed health problems that she
believes are related to her service.
In the photo, a uniformed soldier stares grimly off to one side.
Half his face is in shadow.